Bradley County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee
End of Watch: Saturday, September 16, 1989
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Exposure to toxins
Date of Incident: September 16, 1989
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Reserve Deputy David McCollum was killed during a rescue attempt in Meigs County while assisting the Cleveland / Bradley County Rescue Service.
Deputy McCollum had been lowered by rope into a 45-foot well to check on the condition of two men at the bottom. It was believed that the men had fallen into the well, however, it was later determined that they had been overcome by carbon monoxide after placing a gasoline powered pump at the bottom to remove water. Deputy McCollum was able to provide a status of their condition before he too became overcome by the carbon monoxide.
He was pulled from the well but died while being flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga.