On Monday, a Texas man gunned down his own son while trying to stop him from assaulting his mother, sheriff’s deputies said.

The incident took place in the early morning hours on Monday in the Houston-metro neighborhood of Spring. According to deputies, the 24-year-old man, who was reportedly drunk, returned to his parents’ home on Rhodes Road around 2 a.m. local time, local news outlets reported.

Once he entered the home, deputies said he got into an argument with his mother, which escalated to violence as he reportedly attempted to assault her with a liquor bottle he had been holding.

During the argument, the man’s 75-year-old father, woke up and went to break up the fight, deputies said. When the son started to charge at him, deputies said the father then opened fire with a gun, hitting his son in the chest and killing him.

Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office were called to the residence. After arriving, deputies found the son’s body and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The mother, also in her 70s, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after she was struck in the head with the liquor bottle. Authorities expect her to make a recovery, according to a statement sent to Newsweek by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident remains under investigation, the sheriff’s office said. According to reports, the district attorney’s office will make a decision as to whether or not the father will face a grand jury to determine if charges will be filed.

Spring, Texas, is located roughly 24 miles north of Houston. As of 2020, it had a population of over 61,000 people.

Original Article