Mother kills daughter by mistake

ST. CLOUD, Fla. - Police Cpl. Claude Campbell Jr. placed a breathless 911 call late Tuesday evening as his stepdaughter lay unconscious in his home.

He tells the dispatcher that 27-year-old Ashley Doby has "passed out. She has a pacemaker. She has a heart problem," in a recording released by police.

But not once during the five-minute 911 call does Campbell mention why Doby was struggling to breathe: a gunshot wound to the chest.

Campbell omitted that fact because he was asleep when his wife shot Doby, mistaking her for an intruder, police said on Wednesday. He didn't realize what happened until his wife - a 911 dispatcher with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office - explained it to him, according to authorities.

It was too late. Doby was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.

Her death is being characterized by St. Cloud Police as an "accidental shooting," according to Sgt. Denise Roberts.

Sherry Campbell, 45, fired one fatal shot. She has not been arrested on any criminal charges.

"The homeowner's story is consistent with the physical evidence and the witness' statement," Roberts said in a news release. "At this time, the incident appears to be an accidental shooting; however, the investigation is ongoing."

Once the investigation is complete, detectives will forward the case to the Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, which decides whether to file criminal charges.

In the 911 call, his wife, Sherry, is heard in the background apologizing to her daughter.

"Baby, I love you so much, please!" she sobs. "Please . . . Oh my God ..."