55°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Metro: Father-son fight leads to stabbing, fatal shooting in southwest valley

A fight between a father and son in a southwest valley home Friday afternoon escalated to a stabbing, then a shooting that left the teen son dead, police said.

The physical fight broke out sometime before 4 p.m. at the 10000 block of Keifer Valley Street house, near the intersection of Mountains Edge Parkway and Durango Drive, Metro Lt. Dan McGrath said.

As it intensified, the son, 19, grabbed a footlong hunting knife and plunged it into his father four times, McGrath said. It was then that the father reached for the gun on his carry and shot the son at least once. Medical crews pronounced the son dead at the scene.

About five other relatives were home when it happened, including a juvenile, McGrath said. An adult called 911.

The father, 40, was transported to University Medical Center's trauma unit with stab wounds in the upper back, ribs and right chest. As of 8 p.m. he was in stable condition, McGrath said.

It was unclear what started the fight, but as of 8 p.m. investigators were working to determine if drugs, alcohol or mental illness were factors.

It was also unclear whether police had been called to the home before. As an adult, the son did not have a criminal history. Police were working to determine if he had a juvenile record.

The scene was about a block west of Reedom Elementary School, which dismissed students 26 minutes before officers were called to the home.

The family members who were inside when the fight escalated were escorted to a neighbor's house Friday night, where they talked to police.

The son's body was still inside about four hours after the shooting.

The father did not face criminal charges as of Friday night, but police said it was too early in the investigation to rule them out.

Review-Journal writer Kimberly De La Cruz contributed.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or at 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST