NASHVILLE, Ark. (AP) - A former Murfreesboro police officer is in jail pending a charge for fatally shooting his girlfriend in the back with a rifle.
Marie Cogburn, 34, of Murfreesboro, was found dead Saturday night from a wound from an AR-15 rifle, Prosecutor Bryan Chesshir said.
Daniel Gardner, 42, was arrested by Nashville police without incident at his home, where the shooting occurred. Chesshir said Gardner went to his mother's house after the incident and returned with her to the crime scene. The two were sitting on the porch when police arrived. Cogburn's body was inside on a bed.
Chesshir says Gardner told investigators the shooting was an accident. Gardner told police he tried to push Cogburn in the back with the rifle and it accidentally discharged.
Chesshir says Gardner will be formally charged at his arraignment on Wednesday.
Gardner was being held in the Howard County Jail on Tuesday on $200,000 bond. Sheriff's Investigator David Shelton said Gardner's charge has not been determined but would likely be either first- or second-degree murder.
Gardner was a policeman in the 1990s for Murfreesboro, Chesshir said.
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Information from: Texarkana Gazette, http://www.texarkanagazette.com
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