Son kills 92-year-old dad threatening Tennessee caretaker with knife, official says

A 92-year-old man in Tennessee was shot and killed by his son after he threatened his caretaker with a knife, according to the district attorney for Morgan County.

The son, a Texas resident, was visiting his father near Lancing, Tennessee — about 140 miles east of Nashville. The father began arguing with his caretaker and saying he wanted to fire her before picking up a “long knife,” according to a release posted on the district attorney’s Facebook page.

The man’s son asked his father to stop threatening the woman and warned him multiple times that he had a gun, the release says.

The father was moving toward the direction of the caretaker with the knife in his hand and refused to stop despite his son’s warnings, the release says.

The son shot his father twice with a 380-caliber handgun, striking the man in the leg and around his stomach, according to the district attorney.

The man was pronounced dead later at a hospital, according to the release.

The caretaker recorded cellphone video after the man was shot that shows him holding the knife and continuing to argue from the chair where he fell, the release says.

“All statements and the evidence at the scene at this time indicate the son shot his father in defense of the caretaker who was in danger of serious bodily injury or even death,” the release says.

Officials will perform an autopsy and continue to investigate, according to the district attorney.

This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Son kills 92-year-old dad threatening Tennessee caretaker with knife, official says."