Ga. police chief who says he accidentally shot wife resigns
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - The police chief who says he accidentally shot his wife while she lay in bed has resigned, reports CBS affiliate WGCL.
Peachtree City, Georgia, Police Chief William McCollom shot and severely injured Margaret McCollom on New Year's Day.
"The gun was in the bed, I went to move it, and I put it to a side and it went off," McCollom said in a recording of the emergency call.
He also reportedly told the emergency dispatch operator that he was asleep when the gun went off.
WGCL reports that Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Scott Ballard said he plans to ask a grand jury to charge McCollom with reckless conduct. When asked why he did not seek a stronger charge Ballard said there is not enough evidence to show McCollom intended to shoot his wife.
In a statement, McCollom said, " I have had had two families in Peachtree City - my police family and my personal family. In light of the recent tragedy in my personal family, I need to continue to focus my time and efforts there."
Margaret McCollom was released from the hospital a little less than two weeks after being shot.
McCollom has been in law enforcement for 30 years, primarily in seaside communities in South Florida.
Investigators who previously vetted McCollom for police jobs found no evidence of any criminal background or major misconduct. He was a certified police firearms trainer in Florida, and he instructed a SWAT team in combat shooting.
McCollom has gone through four divorces, including one in 1999 from Margaret McCollom. It's unclear whether William and Margaret McCollom ever remarried, though investigators refer to them as husband and wife.