YOUNGSTOWN — A disabled man who shot his wife and killed her boyfriend after learning of their affair told investigators he shot the man in self-defense and he unintentionally shot his wife when she got between the two men, law enforcement officials said.
Michael McCoy, 43, has not been arrested, but he has been committed for mental health treatment under the Baker Act, which allows law enforcement to hold someone for up to 72 hours if they are a danger to themselves or others, said Maj. Tommy Ford with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
McCoy called 911 after he shot and killed 46-year-old David Walker and injured his wife, 37-year-old Susan McCoy, early Wednesday morning and waited for deputies to arrive at his home. He told the deputy who responded that he hadn’t meant to shoot his wife, who was in critical but stable condition Wednesday evening, Ford said.
Whether McCoy will face criminal charges, and which charges he might face, depends on several things, including what Susan McCoy tells investigators when she recovers enough to speak with them, Ford said.
“At this point, due to her condition, we have not been able to talk to the wife,” Ford said. “We don’t have any other witnesses to go by.”
The Medical Examiner’s Officer will conduct an autopsy today, Ford said. Evidence of the wounds that would indicate bullet trajectory will be critical, Ford said, because it could support or conflict with Michael McCoy’s explanation of the shooting.
Susan McCoy had invited Walker to live in the couple’s home on Rhonda Road on Feb. 2 after he was released from the Bay County Jail a day after he was arrested on a domestic battery charge. A criminal complaint filed against Walker indicates he lived on Cherry Street with his sister, Amy Walker, who is listed as the victim in the domestic battery.
Amy Walker asked for privacy Wednesday, but she said her brother didn’t deserve to die.
“It’s a terrible thing that happened to him,” she said. “He didn’t deserve it.”
But that’s not what Michael McCoy is telling investigators. He told deputies he was going to kill himself with the pistol after he learned of the affair, but his wife was able to calm him down. He demanded Walker leave the home and the two men began to argue. Walker was approaching him, and McCoy, who suffers from a physical disability, shot him in self-defense.
Neighbor Kathy Barker described the couple as quiet and sweet, and she could have never imagined Michael McCoy as a killer, so the news of the shooting was a surprise.
“When we found out we were in shock,” Barker said.
The McCoys had a daughter, and the family mostly kept to themselves, she said Wednesday. Michael McCoy was badly injured at work several years ago and was unable to move his neck or back, so Barker didn’t believe he would’ve started a fight.
“It would’ve probably killed him if he would’ve fought,” she said.
Florida’s broad self-defense laws that allow someone to defend themselves if they have a reasonable fear for their safety, and that’s where Michael McCoy’s disability could be important, Ford said.
“That certainly could be a factor in whether it was reasonable for him to fear for his life,” Ford said.
The BCSO is continuing to investigate the shooting, and investigators will make a determination on whether or not to charge Michael McCoy “once we have all of the facts,” Ford said.
An earlier version of this story is posted below:
YOUNGSTOWN — Bay County investigators say a local man shot and killed his wife's boyfriend and shot his wife leaving her in critical, but stable condition in a local hospital.
The incident happened at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning at 8505 Rhonda Road.
According to a news release Michael McCoy, 43, shot his wife, Susan McCoy, 37, and David Walker, 46, after discovering the two were romantically involved.
"Susan McCoy had invited Walker to stay with her and her husband at their home on Rhonda Road after Walker was released from the Bay County Jail," the news release states.
He was arrested on February 1, 2014 on a domestic violence charge, the news release states. On Monday night, "Michael McCoy discovered the affair and confronted his wife who admitted to the involvement with Walker."
Michael McCoy, who suffers from physical disabilities and has difficulty walking, took out a handgun to commit suicide but his wife was able to calm him down. Michael McCoy demanded Walker leave and all three were in the front yard outside the home when Walker and Michael McCoy began a verbal disagreement.
During the argument Michael McCoy shot Walker multiple times, killing him. Michael McCoy, was waiting at the scene when investigators arrived and told them that his wife was accidentally shot trying to prevent the killing. She is in a local hospital.
The investigation is ongoing.