An Anniston woman is charged with attempted murder and faces an upgraded charge of murder for allegedly shooting her husband in the head during an early Sunday morning argument.

Doctors at UAB Hospital in Birmingham pronounced 57-year-old James Comer legally dead of a gunshot wound to the brain around 1:30 a.m., investigators said.

Comer’s wife, 48-year-old Tracey Comer, was charged with attempted murder Sunday morning, while her husband was still alive, but that charge will most likely be changed to murder when a grand jury indicts her, Sgt. Fred Forsythe said.

Tracey Comer called patrol officers to the Oak Road home she shared with her husband around 2:40 a.m. Sunday, informing the 911 dispatcher that she had shot her husband, Forsythe said.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found James Comer with a bullet hole in the left side of his head and Tracey Comer waiting for them.

Tracey Comer told police she and her husband were arguing but provided scant details about the cause of the disagreement.

“She just said she was mad,” Forsythe said. “It was one of those passion-of-the-moment, heated-argument-type situations.”

During the course of the argument, Tracey Comer took possession of her husband’s handgun, pointed it at him and shot him in the head, police said, although they declined to provide details about how exactly Comer got her hands on the gun.

Anniston EMS personnel responded to the scene along with police. An ambulance transported James Comer to Regional Medical Center in Anniston, but he was later airlifted to UAB, where he died almost 24 hours later.

Police are continuing to investigate the case, Forsythe said.

Investigators know that one of the Comers had a 22-year-old son who had moved away from the Anniston area, but they don’t know whether the son has been notified about James Comer’s death or Tracey Comer’s arrest.

Tracey Comer was in custody at the Anniston City Jail early Monday afternoon but was awaiting transport to the Calhoun County Jail.

A police report shows she was being held on a $250,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court March 11.

Forsythe said Anniston patrol officers had never responded to domestic violence calls at the Comer’s home until now.

A search of state and federal court records shows that Tracey Comer’s murder charge is the woman’s first criminal arrest.

Contact Star Staff Writer Cameron Steele at 256-235-3562.