POWELL, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – A man and his daughter in Powell are facing charges after they assaulted the elderly mother of the family, causing a head injury and sending her to the hospital, according to a police report obtained by WVLT News.
A Knox County deputy responded to the call. It came Tuesday, around 5:30 p.m. and claimed a person had fallen and hit their head. Once the deputy got to the scene, however, a witness said that wasn’t the case.
“[A next-door neighbor] provided officers with cell phone video footage of the incident,” the report said. “The video showed a physical altercation.”
In speaking to the witness, the deputy said they learned the two suspects — Tammy and William McConkey — had gotten into an argument with the victim. The report said the woman has dementia, and the argument started outside the home over a handbag and ended with William hitting the woman and Tammy pushing her to the ground, causing her head to “split open.”
That’s not the story William McConkey told the deputy, however. The report says the man originally said he hadn’t hit the woman, then updated his story after learning the fight was caught on camera.
“William initially stated that [the victim] lost her balance during a struggle over the handbag and fell, striking her head,” the report said. “During this statement, William was unaware that officers had reviewed the video footage. After being advised of the video evidence, William stated that he struck [the victim] in self-defense.”
The elderly woman also spoke with law enforcement, according to the report. She told them “I deserve this” and “they get mad at me,” the report said.
Another person ended up taking the victim to a nearby hospital, and both suspects were charged with elder abuse, the report said.
