Ga. Police Chief's Wife: He Shot Me by Accident

Margaret McCollom, who was shot by her police chief husband on New Year's Day, is standing by her man, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says in a press release. Chief William McCollom has insisted that he shot his wife by accident in the middle of the night, and Margaret McCollom agreed from her hospital bed yesterday. She told GBI agents that although she was asleep when shot, she doesn't think the shooting was intentional.

However, Chief McCollom's story has been inconsistent, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. As his wife moaned in the background, he allegedly told the 911 operator that his service revolver went off while he moved it from the bed, but he also claimed he shot her while he was asleep. Whether Chief McCollom will face criminal charges is the county district attorney's call. Meanwhile, Margaret McCollom was upgraded to good condition yesterday, WSB-TV reports. (More Georgia stories.)