Ex-teacher who shot daughter’s naked boyfriend faces retrial

Published 7:20 pm Saturday, January 28, 2017

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A retrial will be held in the case against a former Madison elementary school teacher who shot his daughter’s naked teenage boyfriend.

A mistrial was declared Thursday after a Madison County jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict involving 51-year-old Fitzgerald McQueen. He faced 10 years in prison if convicted of second-degree assault.

Al.com (http://bit.ly/2jgvKUc) reports Circuit Judge Donna Pate set a retrial for Sept. 25 at 9 a.m.

McQueen was charged in the 2015 shooting of 18-year-old Jaizon Collins, who was standing naked and unarmed in his girlfriend’s closet. The then-17-year-old Collins was hiding in the bedroom of McQueen’s daughter, who was 13 at the time.

McQueen and defense attorney Bruce Gardner argued self-defense. Prosecutors contend McQueen shot Collins because he was angry about him being in the girl’s room.

Collins was charged with second-degree rape but it later was dropped and the case was moved to juvenile court. Collins and his mother also are pursuing a civil lawsuit against McQueen.

McQueen, a former fifth-grade teacher at Heritage Elementary school in Madison, is employed at the Madison City Schools central office.