WHEELER, Miss. (WTVA) - A man faces two counts of attempted murder in Prentiss County.

Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar said a call arrived Wednesday morning at approximately 8:30 from a Wheeler resident who claimed he was following a suspect who had been involved in an incident the night before. The sheriff said deputies had been unable to locate the unnamed suspect the night before.

After receiving the call, deputies responded to County Road 5031 in the Wheeler area.

The sheriff said the suspect went to a nearby home and assaulted a woman. The caller then shot the suspect twice before deputies arrived. The sheriff said this likely saved the woman's life.

After officers arrived, the suspect claimed he had beaten an elderly man earlier. Deputies and investigators responded to the location of the earlier attack and found the elderly man clinging to life, the sheriff said. The sheriff did not identify the location where the elderly man was found.

The elderly man and the woman were transported to the hospital in Tupelo. The suspect was airlifted to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

As of Thursday afternoon, the suspect was reportedly in stable condition. The elderly man’s family said he is in critical condition and in a coma. The woman was released from the hospital Wednesday evening.

The sheriff said the suspect will be transported back to the Prentiss County jail after he’s eventually released from the hospital in Memphis.