Man Shoots Son Who Threatened Him With a Baseball Bat

By Dan Zimmerman

COLLINSVILLE, IL — Being in reasonable fear of death or grievous bodily harm is generally the standard by which a defensive gun use is judged. If someone threatens you with, say, a can of bean in his hand, you may have trouble convincing a prosecutor that shooting him was a reasonable course of action.

There is no doubt, however, that a person wielding a baseball bat is capable of inflicting extremely serious injury or death on another human being. But think how agonizing it must be if the person threatening you with that Louisville Slugger is your own son.

A 62-year-old Collinsville man fatally shot his 32-year-old son during a confrontation Friday night, according to police.

Collinsville Police Chief Steve Evans said police received a 911 call at about 11 p.m. from a residence on Raintree Trail. The caller — the father — said he had just shot his son.