Cherokee County deputies said the shooting happened during a dispute at a home outside Alto.
ALTO, Texas — A man was flown from a rural Cherokee County shooting scene to a Tyler hospital after deputies said his live-in girlfriend shot him twice during an argument Monday evening near Alto.
The victim survived and was listed in stable condition Tuesday, Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson said. His girlfriend, 33-year-old Alanna Dawn Bilbo, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury to a person in a relationship. The case drew attention because deputies said the man was shot between the eyes and again in the back of the neck, yet remained alive after being airlifted for treatment.
The emergency response began on County Road 2813, a rural road in the Alto area of East Texas. Deputies were sent to the residence around 7 p.m. after a report of a shooting. The public accounts do not describe how long it took first responders to arrive or who made the emergency call. Once there, authorities found a case that the sheriff later said had first been reported as an accident. The victim’s injuries were serious enough that he was not taken only by ground ambulance. He was flown to Tyler for hospital care.
Investigators later described a domestic dispute that turned violent at the threshold of the home. Bilbo told detectives, after being advised of her rights, that she and her live-in boyfriend had been in a verbal argument about their relationship. According to the probable cause statement, Bilbo stood in the doorway while the man stood outside near the stairway. The document says he was yelling for her to shoot him. Authorities said she fired a .22 caliber revolver, striking him between the eyes. Investigators said the first shot did not end the encounter.
After the first shot, the man turned to his left and held his face with his hands, according to the sheriff’s account. Bilbo is then accused of shooting him again in the back of the neck. Officials have not released the victim’s name, age or full medical condition. They also have not said whether doctors removed any bullet fragments, whether he was expected to need more treatment, or whether he gave a statement to deputies after reaching the hospital. The sheriff’s statement that he was stable by Tuesday remains the latest publicly reported medical update.
The rural setting added practical stakes to the case. Alto is a small community in the Piney Woods region, about 26 miles west of Nacogdoches. Serious injury calls in that part of Cherokee County can require coordination among sheriff’s deputies, emergency medical workers and regional hospitals. The reports do not say whether Alto police, fire crews or other agencies assisted. They do show that the case quickly moved beyond a local disturbance call because of the type of injuries, the firearm involved and the relationship between the suspect and the victim.
Dickson said both Bilbo and the victim were allegedly using drugs at the time of the shooting. Authorities did not identify any substance or say whether investigators recovered narcotics at the residence. They also did not announce charges related to drug possession. The sheriff’s statement leaves several issues open for the investigation, including whether toxicology testing was requested, whether any alleged drug use affected statements at the scene, and whether prosecutors will mention that allegation in future filings. For now, the filed charge is tied to the shooting, not to drugs. Bilbo was booked into the Cherokee County Jail and held on $150,000 bond. A magistrate judge issued a protective order that bars her from contacting the victim for three months and prohibits her from possessing a firearm. Those conditions reflect the relationship allegation in the charge. The court records described in public reports do not say whether Bilbo has entered a plea. No defense statement was included in the early accounts, and the reports do not identify an attorney speaking on her behalf.
Investigators will likely rely on a mix of physical and testimonial evidence as the case moves ahead. The probable cause statement already gives one version of the argument and the gunfire. Remaining evidence could include the 911 call, body camera video, medical records, photographs from the scene, firearm recovery details and any statements from the victim or nearby witnesses. Authorities have not said whether anyone outside the couple saw the shooting. They also have not said whether the home showed damage from the gunfire or where the second round traveled after striking the victim.
The accusation remains at an early stage, but the central facts released by authorities are stark: a relationship argument, a doorway, a stairway, a .22 caliber revolver and two shots to a man’s head and neck. The case did not become a homicide because the victim survived. It also did not remain an accident report because deputies said their investigation found evidence supporting an aggravated assault charge.
Bilbo remained in custody while the victim’s recovery continued in Tyler. The next clear public step is expected in court, where prosecutors can present the case for formal review and where any defense response would first appear in the record.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.