A 63-year-old man allegedly shot and killed his 29-year-old son during a domestic dispute early Monday (Jan. 21) at their home in the 100 block of Olive Street in Festus. The shooting occurred about 3:40 a.m., authorities reported.
The names of the victim and his father have not been released.
“The suspect was taken into custody and later released. No charges have been filed,” Capt. Doug Wendel said Tuesday (Jan. 22).
He said the son reportedly had been drinking the previous afternoon and evening.
“(The victim) got into an altercation with his mother in the kitchen, was choking her,” Wendel said. “The father came in and hit the subject in the back of the head with a pistol to get him to let her go. The son threw his father into the laundry room and threatened to kill him, at which point the father shot him.”
Wendel said the victim was shot in the shoulder-neck area.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District personnel, Wendel said.
He said it’s up to the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office whether any charges will be filed against the father.
The case is still under investigation, Wendel said.