The father of a Jonesboro woman shot by Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill over the weekend said the shooting was an accident and that he has no animosity toward the lawman.
Ernest McCord, a retired electronics technician, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday morning “we were so blown away by this freak accident.”
“They’re good friends,” McCord said of Hill’s relationship with his daughter, Gwenevere, 43. “He’s always been a perfect gentleman with us. He’s always shown concern for us and for her.”
He said his family has known Hill for years and has visited the family at their Bowen Court home. McCord said his daughter worked on Hill’s second campaign for sheriff.
McCord was on his way Tuesday to join other family members at Gwinnett Medical Center where his daughter remains in critical condition. Gwenevere McCord, a real estate agent with Paran Realty, was shot Sunday afternoon at a model home in a subdivision near Lawrenceville. Hill called 911 after the shooting. He was allowed to leave after relinquishing his guns and clothes to police at the scene. He gave little details about the shooting to authorities and has not said anything else about it since.
“He’s taking a lot of heat in the media for not talking,” said McCord who works part-time as a bus driver for Clayton County Public Schools. “We don’t feel like it’s anything he’s done intentionally. That’s what people need to understand.”
McCord said Hill called the family on Sunday after the shooting.
“He’s all torn up about this,” McCord said.
Although she is in critical condition, McCord said his daughter is able to answer questions by nodding her head. She’s unable to talk because of the tubes in her throat, McCord said, and therefore has not been able to tell the family what happened. McCord is reserving judgment until he hears his daughter’s side of the story.
“It’s been a long battle. She’s making progress. She knows we’re there,” said McCord. Bengi, the family’s four-month-old Shih Tzu stood by his side in the doorway. The dog always greeted his daughter when she came home, McCord said.
Gwenevere McCord moved back home with her parents about two years ago after her divorce and concentrated on her real estate career, her father said. She is a broker who put her own business on hold to return to work as a real estate agent. She’s also licensed to sell insurance, he said.
“The sheriff always made comments about how he admired her because she’s ambitious,” McCord said. “She’s a go-getter.”
McCord said his daughter, the youngest of five, is a fighter who has an “unshakeable faith.”
“She had no chose with four brothers,” he said.
Gwinnett County Police Chief Butch Ayers said Tuesday that his office is working closely with District Attorney Danny Porter and he plans to reach out to Hill again.
Meanwhile, officials at the Clayton sheriff office reportedly sent a note to employees about the incident saying they were to continue carrying on the daily operations of the department.
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