AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The man charged in the suspected mercy killing of his wife at an Ohio hospital asked the doctor who confronted him, "Please tell me she's dead," according to the doctor's account of what happened.

In his first interview about the shooting at Akron General Medical Center, Dr. Michael Passero said Monday that he repeatedly asked 66-year-old John Wise to give up his weapon after the shooting in an intensive-care unit.

The discussion was interrupted when the victim, 65-year-old Barbara Wise, gasped for air. The doctor says John Wise then said: "Oh, God, she's still alive. How can she still be alive?"

He was charged with aggravated murder in the Aug. 4 shooting. His wife died one day later.

A friend said Barbara Wise had been disabled by a stroke.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.