PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — Former Peachtree City police chief William McCollom has turned himself in to the Fayette County Sheriff's Office after he was indicted in the shooting of his wife.
William McCollom was charged with reckless conduct following a shooting that injured his wife on New Year's Day.
Police say the former police chief called 911 and told the operator he'd just accidentally shot her while they were in bed.
"The gun was in the bed," William McCollom said on the 911 call. "(I) went to move it, put it to the side, then it went off."
William McCollom told police his barking dog woke him up so he got his gun and checked the house. He then went back to bed and put the pistol under the sheets.
William McCollom said he went back to sleep and woke up to a gunshot.
The shooting left Margaret McCollom paralyzed from the waist down.
McCollom resigned from his post as chief in March.
The Grand Jury listened to an hour's worth of evidence in the case, including testimony from William McCollom himself.
"A misdemeanor offense of reckless conduct. Is it a severe enough charge for a lady who is going to be paralyzed possibly for the rest of her life? Absolutely not. My responsibility is to take the laws that exist and try to apply them fairly. That's all we're trying to do here," said District Attorney Scott Ballard.
Prosecutors say William McCollom could be looking at a year in the county jail if convicted.
WSBTV
