After receiving a 911 hang-up call Tuesday, police officers went to a South Circle residence to find a Natchez woman who had been shot in the head.

Terri Smith, age not available, No. 1 South Circle, called 911 but wasn’t able to talk to the dispatcher, so the phone went dead, said Natchez Police Chief Willie Huff.

&uot;I believe she’s pretty fortunate,&uot; Huff said. &uot;We’re just glad she was able to make a phone call so we could get her the help she needed.&uot;

Smith was listed in critical condition Tuesday evening at University Medical Center in Jackson.

As is standard procedure, Natchez police officers Jerry Ford and Paul Rhodes responded to the 911 hangup call and found Smith at about 11:20 a.m.

Smith told police her former boyfriend, Jason Fulton, 22, 3 Tyler Circle, had shot her.

&uot;When we responded she said that’s who shot her,&uot; Huff said.

At about the same time, Fulton turned himself in to the police.

&uot;She was getting loaded in the ambulance when he turned himself in,&uot; Huff said.

Because of damage to the back door of the residence, officers believe Fulton kicked in the door to gain entry into the house.

Police found Smith on the bed in a bedroom.

The victim called 911 at about 11:09 a.m.

&uot;From the evidence at the scene it looked like (the shooting) could have happened a good bit earlier than we got the call,&uot; Huff said.

Huff said he is not certain of the motive for the shooting, and investigators have not been able to talk much with the couple about what may have motivated it.

&uot;Basically he’s not talking, (and) she’s on her way to Jackson,&uot; Huff said.

Officers later found the suspected weapon, a .380-caliber pistol, in a wooded area in Washington, Huff said.

Fulton was not injured beyond a cut on his hand he may have received when he broke in the residence, Huff said.

He was charged with aggravated assault and was being held without bond Tuesday pending arraignment today.

Huff said the Natchez Police Department is fortunate to have a 911 system that tracks a caller’s address even if the person hangs up before a dispatcher can answer.

&uot;We send an officer to all the 911 hang-ups,&uot; Huff said.

Often the calls are wrong numbers but in some cases such as family disturbances, the caller is unable to stay on the phone long enough to talk to the dispatchers, Huff said.