The woman Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is charged with shooting in a Lawrenceville-area model home in May has applied for a job with his office, Channel 2 Action News reported Wednesday.
Hill is scheduled to go before a Gwinnett County grand jury Thursday for the shooting of Gwenevere McCord, a friend. He was charged with a misdemeanor in what McCord's father called a "freak accident."
Hill’s attorney Mike Puglise told Channel 2 that McCord had recently completed an employment application with the office, “as any other citizen would be entitled to do.”
Puglise said McCord was a criminal justice major, although she was working as a real estate agent at the time. Her career plan has been law enforcement since long before the shooting, he said.
He said he does not believe her application would influence a grand jury.
Legal expert Manny Arora told Channel 2, “If the victim says the defendant shot me, and then goes and asks the defendant for a job, it certainly undermines her credibility, which is not suggesting the victim’s done anything wrong here. Certainly not. It’s just the context of it looks really unusual.”
Puglise said McCord believes the reckless conduct warrant Hill currently faces should be dismissed.
McCord, a 43-year-old real estate agent from Jonesboro, and Hill were alone inside a home on Britt Trail Drive when she was shot in the stomach. Hill called 911 to report the shooting, saying he and McCord were practicing “police tactics” when she was shot, police said.
McCord has corroborated Hill’s statements to investigators.
The charge is a misdemeanor, meaning it typically would not be presented to a grand jury. But Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said in a statement that going to a grand jury was “the best course of action.”
Georgia statutes say a law enforcement officer charged with a crime during the performance of their official duties is entitled to have that case presented to a grand jury, Porter said.
Porter said the grand jury will be given options for charging Hill — meaning the reckless conduct charge could be upgraded to a felony, such as aggravated assault.
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