Murray County, Ga., man faces murder charge in wife's death

Oliver Scott Cannon remains in a Chattanooga hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound

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Two days after allegedly killing his wife, Oliver Scott Cannon remains in a Chattanooga hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Murray County, Ga., Chief Deputy Brian Ingle said the sheriff's office has received reports that Cannon, 57, will likely survive. If he does, he will face a murder charge.

Ingle said Cannon met his wife, Johnnie Shoemaker Cannon, in the driveway of a home at the corner of Leonard Bridge Road and Highland Way in Chatsworth around 10 a.m. Monday. Neighbors reported he yelled at her. Ingle said investigators believe Cannon fatally shot his wife in the chest with a 9 mm and drove away.

Ingle said the two were separated, but he doesn't know the history of the dispute. Neither filed for divorce, according to Murray County Superior Court records. There are are no court filings of violent crimes involving either person. Ingle said Johnnie Cannon, 56, was staying in Clinton, Tenn., with friends from the local Church of God.

The shooting occurred within one mile of Spring Place and Coker elementary schools, and Murray County Superintendent Eric McFee put the buildings on lockdown.

Meanwhile, two deputies found Oliver Scott Cannon's black Chevrolet pickup in front of the family's mobile home in the 100 block of Holly Creek Drive, about six miles south of the crime scene.

Ingle said officers surrounded the home: four from the Chatsworth police, about seven from the sheriff's office and others from the Georgia State Patrol. A family member talked to Cannon on the phone. He allegedly said he had extra ammunition in the mobile home.

"He was very adamant that he was not going to come out," Ingle said. "There were some comments made that he wouldn't surrender, that we would have to kill him."

Through a loudspeaker, a Chatsworth police negotiator tried to convince Cannon to come out, telling him that holing up in the trailer or fighting back was only going to make the day worse for everyone. After 60 to 90 minutes, Ingle said, the state patrol's SWAT unit arrived in armored trucks and Humvees.

Another negotiator tried to talk to him, Ingle said, but Cannon stayed inside. Finally, officers shot cans of tear gas into the mobile home. Ingle said the officers waited a couple moments between shots, but Cannon did not emerge.

Then, Ingle said, officers heard a gunshot, followed by a thud. They thought he fell to the ground, dead. But about two minutes later, he opened the door and struggled out.

"We were actually a little bit surprised," Ingle said.

The chief declined to comment about how Scott Cannon looked. But Ingle said he shot himself in the chin, with the barrel pointed up. The bullet appeared to cut through his jaw, exiting out either an upper cheek or his nostrils.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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