A second high-ranking member of the Columbus Police Department is preparing to leave.
Assistant Chief Tony McCoy confirmed to The Dispatch this morning that he submitted his paperwork for retirement on Thursday. McCoy’s retirement is effective Jan. 16, according to the agenda for the city’s next council meeting.
Police Chief Tony Carleton concluded his tenure with the city Thursday. Carleton began his stint as chief in September 2013.
Carleton submitted his resignation to city leaders in the weeks after the officer-involved shooting death of Ricky Ball, a 26-year-old Columbus man shot and killed on Oct. 16. One officer involved in that incident has been fired, while two others have been suspended.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating Ball’s shooting death.
The city hired McCoy in September 2014. He, like Carleton, came to Columbus after serving with the Tupelo Police Department.
McCoy said his law enforcement career has spanned more than 26 years, the bulk of which he served in Tupelo. With retirement ahead of him, he said he doesn’t have any plans but intends to slow down and take things one day at a time.
“I’m really just planning to take things easy and see what happens,” McCoy said. “It’s certainly been an experience.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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