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Police chief accidentally shoots sleeping wife

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paddymcdougall

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Police chief said he shot wife moving gun in bed - SFGate

TLANTA (AP) — A police chief in Georgia told a 911 dispatcher he accidentally shot his sleeping wife while moving a handgun that was in their bed, according to a recording released Friday.

Peachtree City police Chief William McCollom called for help at 4:17 a.m. New Year's Day and reported accidentally shooting his 58-year-old wife, Margaret, while they both slept. The Associated Press obtained a recording of the call Friday through an open records request. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting.

McCollom spoke calmly in the audio recording, telling a dispatcher he needed medical help for an accidental gunshot wound at his suburban home, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta.

"Who shot her?" the dispatcher asked.

"Me," McCollom said. "The gun was in the bed, I went to move it, and I put it to a side and it went off."
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I have a feeling this isn't the full story yet....if it is, someone needs to look into how they train police chiefs in that area.
 
No surprise, a toddler at age 2 did it.
 
I have guns too but I sure as hell don't sleep with them. Good grief.

I expect to hear it was in a special compartment in his purse.
 
This is all over the news down here, but what is suspiciously not included is the details of case. Not near enough to suggest fault, or intention just yet. But all the right moves were made the moment it was reported. The chief is on leave and the entire case, including the preliminary forensic investigation of the scene and recovery of the weapon, was handed over to or handled directly by the the GBI.

Whatever happens, so far we seem to have proper case handling.
 
I don't buy it. Guns don't just go off normally. They go off because they are mishandled badly, and you'd think a sheriff ought to know better.


Now Glocks are kind of known for unintentional discharges. Still, sliding one across a bed sheet should not normally set it off.
 
One question is why the gun was in the bed.
 
For God's sake! Do cops (or other people but cops esp. handle their firearms every day) just start handling their firearms casually?

I can see that maybe he came home, was undressing, and put it on the bed. Went to take it out of holster to lock it up and accidentally pulled the trigger...but that only happens if he broke several gun-handling rules. Thru carelessness.

I also think there's more here to the story.
 
I don't know whether this info is useful, but the current wife (#4) was also wife #2.
 
nota bene said:
I don't know whether this info is useful, but the current wife (#4) was also wife #2.
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That's interesting. Certainly adds to board gossip :)
 
Yeah, just doesn't sound plausable...I think this guy has a whole lot of 'splainin' to do....
 
The wife is in critical condition but will survive. How she responds may tell the story.
 
What was the case several yrs ago where the detective was on wife 3 or 4 and she died in the bathtub and one of his earlier wives had died too?

He wasnt charged initially either, got away with it for years.
 
paddymcdougall said:
I have a feeling this isn't the full story yet....if it is, someone needs to look into how they train police chiefs in that area.
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Are you saying that you think it may have been intentional? If that's the case, I would be very surprised. A guy with his training would know how to make sure she didn't live to tell about it.
 
I would think that if he wanted to kill her she would be dead. If you are gonna pull an "Accidental" shooting then you make it count.
 
OrphanSlug said:
This is all over the news down here, but what is suspiciously not included is the details of case. Not near enough to suggest fault, or intention just yet. But all the right moves were made the moment it was reported. The chief is on leave and the entire case, including the preliminary forensic investigation of the scene and recovery of the weapon, was handed over to or handled directly by the the GBI.

Whatever happens, so far we seem to have proper case handling.
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Good to know that it's being handled properly. Thanks.
 
MACS-24 said:
How does this relate to police training?
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My guess is well-trained cops learn how not to shoot their spouses while sliding the gun across the bed. I.e. they learn proper gun handling. Lursa would never do this, for example, and Lursa isn't even a cop.
 
lizzie said:
Are you saying that you think it may have been intentional? If that's the case, I would be very surprised. A guy with his training would know how to make sure she didn't live to tell about it.
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Hmnmmm. Good point. So he's just incompetent at handling his gun?

Of course, it's possible that their sex play involves holding a gun, and someone turned wrong... and he doesn't want to admit they were having wild, crazy sex.
 
paddymcdougall said:
Hmnmmm. Good point. So he's just incompetent at handling his gun?

Of course, it's possible that their sex play involves holding a gun, and someone turned wrong... and he doesn't want to admit they were having wild, crazy sex.
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Since I have no idea exactly what was happening at the time of the shooting, I don't know. What I was saying was that if it was intentional, he certainly should have had the skills to make sure she didn't live to talk.

Wild crazy sex? I don't know if I've ever heard of anyone getting shot that way- I suppose it's possible. Interesting at least lol.
 
paddymcdougall said:
Good to know that it's being handled properly. Thanks.
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So far, proceeding as expected but there is some awkward reporting. The 911 call made it sound like she was shot twice, the later report indicated once. Saying you accidentally shot someone twice is kin to saying someone fell on a knife twice. Other circumstances are starting to come out as well. Earlier reports suggested they did not remarry, later reports confirmed that they did. We'll have to see how long it takes before more comes out but at least it is the GBI now controlling what info is released.

Peachtree City chief
(The link is an AJC article, who are notorious for changing the URL and even restricting it later to "subscribers." I cannot attest to how long the link will work.)
 
paddymcdougall said:
My guess is well-trained cops learn how not to shoot their spouses while sliding the gun across the bed. I.e. they learn proper gun handling. Lursa would never do this, for example, and Lursa isn't even a cop.
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Newly trained firearm owners are capable of proper firearms handling. I just don't see what he did in his own bedroom relates to "someone needs to look into how they train police chiefs in that area."
 
MACS-24 said:
Newly trained firearm owners are capable of proper firearms handling. I just don't see what he did in his own bedroom relates to "someone needs to look into how they train police chiefs in that area."
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I guess I have high standards for police chiefs. If they are properly trained, they should never misuse their guns, particularly in this way. In my opinion, cops should use their training wherever they are, whether it's the bedroom, the police station, or on the streets.

If you disagree, so be it.
 
lizzie said:
Since I have no idea exactly what was happening at the time of the shooting, I don't know. What I was saying was that if it was intentional, he certainly should have had the skills to make sure she didn't live to talk.

Wild crazy sex? I don't know if I've ever heard of anyone getting shot that way- I suppose it's possible. Interesting at least lol.
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I read a John Dunning novel where a couple had sex while holding on to a gun (her gun, actually). No idea if that is something people do or not! or, like you say, if people get shot doing it.

Fiction is fun....
 
paddymcdougall said:
I guess I have high standards for police chiefs. If they are properly trained, they should never misuse their guns, particularly in this way. In my opinion, cops should use their training wherever they are, whether it's the bedroom, the police station, or on the streets.

If you disagree, so be it.
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I disagree with what he does in his private bedroom has any business of his employer.
 
paddymcdougall said:
My guess is well-trained cops learn how not to shoot their spouses while sliding the gun across the bed. I.e. they learn proper gun handling. Lursa would never do this, for example, and Lursa isn't even a cop.
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Ha of course not! I dont have a spouse ;)

But I did, in my younger days back east, date a NYC cop and remember him putting this ankle holster and gun on the bed in the am when he sat down to put it on in the morning. Guess I'm glad he didnt want to kill me!
 
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