A 15-year-old boy has shot and killed his father in self-defense after the man fired at the teen’s mother and then pointed a gun at him, authorities said Thursday.
The incident unfolded Wednesday night in northeast West Virginia. State police received reports of a “domestic altercation with shots fired” at a home in Upshur County just after 7 p.m.
When responding officers arrived at the scene, they learned Maxwell Laham had shot his wife with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Laham’s wife and a juvenile daughter managed to flee from the home. But the teenage boy, who stayed in the house, grabbed another gun and later shot his father in self-defense, police said.
“Their 15-year-old son obtained a 20-gauge shotgun and went upstairs in their residence,” the police statement read. “Maxwell Laham then went upstairs and pointed the firearm at his 15-year-old son, who in turn shot Mr. Laham one time in the chest, killing him.”
No other injuries were reported, authorities said.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday morning, local news site My Buckhannon reported. The case remains under investigation.
With News Wire Services
