GUILTY GA - Police Chief William McCollom for attempted murder, Peachtree City, 2015

[SuzDuJour]

Anyone think the 911 call sounded a little ...................odd?

It sounded strangely matter of fact and very detached. I was shaking my head when he asked his wife if she was having trouble breathing, then said, Well, of course you are'. I sure didn't hear any panic or fear in his voice.

 

[SuzDuJour]

they have already said the gun was only fired once.

I counted three times when he could've corrected the dispatcher, instead he agreed that he shot her twice. Does anyone have a link to the full six minute 911 call?
(Edited to ad that yes, I know the GBI found ony one shot had been fired)

 

[foodle]

I counted three times when he could've corrected the dispatcher, instead he agreed that he shot her twice. Does anyone have a link to the full six minute 911 call?
(Edited to ad that yes, I know the GBI found ony one shot had been fired)

It sounds like he thought he'd shot her twice due to the entrance and exit wounds.

 

[jjenny]

It sounds like he thought he'd shot her twice due to the entrance and exit wounds.

What entrance and exit wounds? I haven't heard anything about exit and entrance wounds on 911 call.

 

[Donjeta]

I hope she fully recovers and can shed some light on what happened here.

 

[TrackerSam]

Anyone think the 911 call sounded a little ...................odd?

In the 911 call, police chief William McCollom said he shot is wife, Margaret McCollom, while moving his gun in bed.

If he was moving the gun, then he wasn't asleep. Still................. he could've let her die.

 

[jjenny]

In the 911 call, police chief William McCollom said he shot is wife, Margaret McCollom, while moving his gun in bed.

If he was moving the gun, then he wasn't asleep. Still................. he could've let her die.

He also says he was sleeping. Which is why the story isn't making much sense. She still might die, we don't know if she will make it.

 

[Donjeta]

He's a police chief, he'd know how things would look like.

If it was some kind of heat of the moment shooting he would have realized that he'd probably be in more trouble if he let her die before he called 911, and the only way he could hope to get a pass for an accidental shooting was to call immediately and fake concern.

If she lives he might get her to testify that he'd never hurt her. If she died they'd probably be able to tell that she was bleeding out for a while.

 

[CHERIE.T]

It sounded strangely matter of fact and very detached. I was shaking my head when he asked his wife if she was having trouble breathing, then said, Well, of course you are'. I sure didn't hear any panic or fear in his voice.

That's what I thought too. Imoo he sounded a little too calm.

 

[murphy3k]

This is the same WSB story I linked yesterday. However, towards the end of the story they have an updated condition on Mrs. McCollum. She has been upgraded from critical condition to serious condition, which is good news.

Many Peachtree City residents want to hear his wife’s side of the story. Margaret McCollom's condition was upgraded Saturday from critical to serious.
The GBI says they have not been able to question her yet.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder if they did a toxicology on him. He certainly wasn't making much sense. He claims the gun went off as he was moving it, yet he also claims he was sleeping. He is a police chief with presumably extensive firearm safety training. Why was he supposedly sleeping with a loaded gun to begin with? He thought he accidentally shot her twice-in front and back? It doesn't add up.

 

[foodle]

What entrance and exit wounds? I haven't heard anything about exit and entrance wounds on 911 call.

On the 911 call, the dispatcher mentions that she was shot in the back and side. Not sure where she got the information, but he says yes to that and to the fact that she's been shot twice. I'm surmising that if there was only one shot (per GBI) then the only way to get two wounds would be an entrance and exit wound. I suppose she could have been injured in another way to get a second wound, but then the situation is getting more sinister.

 

[Donjeta]

one of the links containing the 911 call snippets said that bits have been removed to protect the victim's privacy. I assume that's where he would have been giving the dispatcher information about where she was bleeding and what her condition was?

 

[katydid23]

If she lives, and I truly hope she recovers well, she will still not be able to explain what happened. If she was asleep and was shot in the back, what's there to tell? Unless he screamed " You are dead, witch" and then shot her, she does not have a lot to tell us.

 

[SuzDuJour]

He said, in the 911 call, that her back was numb. I assume she had to have told him that, how else would he know?

 

[nells]

"You having trouble breathing, dear?" It's sounds like he is asking if she needs help with the dishes -- no concern, no urgency.

Questions I have:
1) What was the distance between the two when the gun went off?
2) Was she in bed when the gun went off? Did first responders find her in bed or on the floor?
3) What led to the re-marriage last year? Were they "friends" during the period of their divorce? Were family members surprised when they re-married?
4) Did he have a gun safe or some other location where he kept his work-related firearms?

 

[SuzDuJour]

"You having trouble breathing, dear?" It's sounds like he is asking if she needs help with the dishes -- no concern, no urgency.

Questions I have:
1) What was the distance between the two when the gun went off?
2) Was she in bed when the gun went off? Did first responders find her in bed or on the floor?
3) What led to the re-marriage last year? Were they "friends" during the period of their divorce? Were family members surprised when they re-married?
4) Did he have a gun safe or some other location where he kept his work-related firearms?

Good questions. I also wonder:

Did he work that night, what time did he get home? Had he been drinking? Did he usually have the gun in bed?

 

[katydid23]

The no urgency thing is not that unusual for a first responder. My son is an EMT and he can stay very calm in scary situations. Later he gets weak or emotional, but during the crisis he stays very calm and measured. He sounds like he does not care but it is only his training.

 

[Mrs G Norris]

Good questions. I also wonder:

Did he work that night, what time did he get home? Had he been drinking? Did he usually have the gun in bed?

It was 4am on New Years Day too, I'd like to know if they celebrated the night before and until what time.

 

[nells]

Other question:

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/investigation-of-peachtree-city-police-chief-could/njfML/

- At the 2:15 mark on this link, we see a Peachtree City police officer carry what looks like a tote or bag from the house and place the bag in the front passenger seat of his patrol car. Shouldn't evidence from the house be placed in clearly marked evidence bags? Was this clothing for the wife?