William T. "Billy" Callan Jr., a 19-year-old male from Altoona, PA, tragically died on September 29, 2016, as a result of an accidental shooting. The incident occurred at Callan's apartment on the 1600 block of Second Avenue, where he was hanging out with friends and playing video games. During this gathering, Michael "Tony" Corle, a 20-year-old friend of Callan's, allegedly pulled out a revolver from a backpack and began playing with it, leading to the fatal accident.
According to
police reports, Corle was handling the gun in a reckless manner, opening and closing the cylinder and pulling on the trigger before pointing the gun at Callan's head and laughing. This prompted Callan to laugh as well, and in the process, the gun went off, shooting Callan in the head. The shooting was described as unintentional and negligent.
Following the incident, Corle buried the gun near Pleasant Valley Elementary School, which led to additional charges of tampering with evidence. Altoona police arrested and charged Corle with aggravated assault and tampering with evidence. In court, Corle pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to 58 to 116 months in state prison. The judge, Daniel Milliron, accepted the plea and imposed a sentence of 60 months, reflecting the standard range of the state’s sentencing guidelines for aggravated assault.
The case highlighted the dangers of handling firearms irresponsibly and the severe consequences that can result from such actions. Callan's death deeply affected his family and friends, who remembered him as a well-liked and well-known individual in the community.
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