Man indicted in wife's shooting

A Merrimack County grand jury has indicted a Loudon man accused of shooting his wife in the stomach and legs through the wall of their bedroom while cleaning his gun.

Mark Hillson, 45, was indicted Feb. 17 and is scheduled to be arraigned on March 13 on charges of reckless conduct, a felony, and simple assault, a misdemeanor.

Hillson remains in custody at Merrimack County jail in Boscawen and his attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

The indictments said that Hillson acted recklessly, but not intentionally, on Nov. 13 when he shot his wife, Gina Hillson, 49, in their home at 46 Flagg Road.

The incident occurred about 8:15 p.m., after the couple had gotten into a discussion about Gina Hillson's son and ex-husband, according to an affidavit by Sgt. John Marasco of the New Hampshire State Police. They were the only people in the house, Marasco stated in the affidavit.

After that discussion, which he told the police was not an argument, Hillson locked himself in the couple's bedroom. Gina Hillson tried to enter the bedroom but couldn't, according Marasco.

Hillson, who said he has a military background, removed a 9mm Beretta handgun from a safe and wiped it down, Marasco wrote.

In circumstances that are unclear from available records, the weapon discharged twice and the bullets hit Gina Hillson, who by then was standing at the threshold to the kitchen.

She had a phone in her hand when she was shot and dialed 911, according to records.

Hillson told the police he was not sure how the gun fired but confirmed it was in his hands and "under his control" at the time of the shooting, Marasco wrote.

After the gun fired, Marasco heard his wife screaming and then helped her, according to Marasco.

Gina Hillson suffered gunshots to both legs, including her left shin, and a "grazing-type wound" to her stomach. Interviewed later by the state police while recovering at the Concord Hospital, Gina Hillson said her husband had never shot a weapon in the house in the past and declined to give them permission to search her home.

"I don't want you in my house," she told them.

Hillson told the police he is "familiar with various types of weaponry," but had never seen a gun discharge the way it had that night.

(Molly A.K. Connors can be reached at 369-3319 or mconnors@cmonitor.com.)