I'll say it again. why didn't he fire a warning shot first? Thought only Cops shoot people and then ask questions later. There is a good lesson in this.

Oh my gosh, this is something my boys would have done if my sister lived next door. Up playing video games, get bored and decide to see if they could scare their Aunt. I even recall one time when they were in their early teens getting the idea to put on all black and sneak over to our neigbors to scare them. I am not saying it was smart but it is a teen boy mentality. I get the dad wanted to protect his home and family but there was no reason he had to shoot to kill. I assume most people don't want to kill someone even in self defense and wouldn't you at least yell that you have a gun and will shoot? But again we don't know the whole truth at this point and I doubt we ever will.

Y did not the boy say"hey it is me dad/dude"?

He had an agenda to do something n he died as a result of THAT something.

Y was he wearing a mask? Yes to do something stupid. Y did he not rip it off when he saw his adoptive dad?

As you know, if u watch Faux News, we are still in the cowboy days of law and order. We take care of our own..and damn if we shoot ourselves by mistake, it's our right to !

Why, we don't need any police professionals... those guys get over $60k a year, but we don't need to call them because that's their job to come and help you.

To me, the error margin of carrying your own gun is way too high... it's not a toaster or a home appliance, guys ! Just this month, there were 2 different stories of cop's kids shooting themselves fatally ...

If I'm the dad, I'd yell, "Freeze" or "Drop the Knife" before firing. Unless they also have a gun, no need to fire without a warning.

Let me preface that this is not an argument FOR gun control. Americans love their guns too much. Frankly, in some cases, they apparently love them more than their own children. So any political party that aggressively seeks to implement gun control will just be voted out of office.

Statistically, you or one of your family members, friends or neighbors is far more likely to die from your gun than an actual criminal. But this apparently, is the price we are willing to pay.

I remember when those kids in Arkansas got into their parents guns and blew away a bunch of their classmates in the 90s. I remember the interviews that some news station did getting the reactions of the locals. Their biggest fear? That the government would try to implement gun control. Not that more kids would die, not that something like this might happen again--no, they were more worried about gun control. That was their biggest fear. When people love guns more than their children, it's hopeless.

As someone who has given up hoping for sensible gun control laws, I ask just two things:

1) Stop with the BS slogans. The faux bumper sticker arguments. They're lame, and why bother? You have won the fight. No one is going to take your guns. The Dems have wisely dropped it as a political issue. Can we just admit we love our guns?

2) I draw the line at laws that make it easier to gun down people who "look suspicious". If you want an arsenal, fine. But if you follow an unarmed person around in the dark, and gun them down, I demand that you are arrested, held accountable, and tried in a court of law. So I feel sorry for the son, and most of his family, but I hope they throw the book at the shooter.

I wasn't even going to make comment on this particular topic tonight. But, after reading some of these posts. I find it VERY NECESSARY to be sarcastic! To all those......gun hater's out there. So what you are saying, is that the government should take away our rights to bear arms, while the real criminals get to keep theirs. And should an intruder decide to break into our homes. We should sit back and just HOPE that the police will get there in time, to prevent it from happening. And should we get shot, stabbed, raped, or God forbid...even killed. BEFORE the police can even turn on their lights & siren good. Then so be it! Right! Better to be severely injured or even DEAD, rather than defend yourself. That makes a lot of sense. Whenever an intruder enters your domain. I don't care what you say! He/She is fair game! And if YOU would rather be "carried by 6, than tried by 12". That's YOUR BUSINESS. You speak of "taking the law into your own hands" Well okay. What about all of the unjustifiable police shootings that have been happening lately. I guess you think it's okay, JUST BECAUSE they are police right? Just makes me wonder what else you are okay with. TSA groping people. Illegal wiretaps by the government, Illegally supplying of weapons to other countries by our government. What else????

He just HAD to SHOOT before trying anything else. Not surprised this day and age with the wild west mentality some have. It will never end....pathetic.

This story sounds fishy to me. First, a parent should always know where his/her children are. (Strike 1)

Secondly, the father should not have left his child in the house alone. We know the child was shot outside the home but shouldn’t the parent check on his kids before he leaves the home with a gun???? I would never leave my kids at home and would check on them first;(Parenting 101) I would call the police and protect my children if I were really concerned.

Third, if the parent did check on the child in his bed, he would have known that he was not there and would have been less likely to shoot someone.

Finally, all you parents need to know something that is a cold hearted fact about guns. If you are a parent and you have a gun, the odds are that you will get shot with your own gun or you will shoot a family member or your children before you kill an intruder!!!! This is a fact!!! I am not saying to get rid of guns.. That is your right..

I am saying you need to protect your children before anything. His sister would have been better off throwing a printer or anything she could have got her hands on through a window. If you ever get cornered or fear for your life and you are in your home, throw something through a window. It draws immediate attention (something buglers do not want) and everyone in the neighborhood would call the police and any bugler would immediately run.

Everything about this story sounds fishy to me... I would never do what the father did..... I would not leave my home without checking on my children and I would not take a gun across the neighborhood... Look what it got him.

Guns kill far more family members than intruders. And those who play by NRA "stand your ground" rules should be prepared to have innocents, including relatives, die by their macho NRA rules.

The son must have been mentally disturbed in some way.

I don't care who you are, if you have a knife, and you see somebody pointing a gun at you, you drop the knife and put your hands up.

Unless of course there's something screwed up going on in your head. Suicidal, drugs, or good ol' mental instability, we might never know.

WTF he "stood his ground" he has nothing to feel guilty about says the NRA.

The real conspiracy is our government and the financial institutions that own our politicians. I feel for this guy and his family. Prayers out to them, so sorry you had to go through this.

I know plenty of people who hunt and are law abiding gun owners. That said, I think most people who keep handguns in their house are sort of excited about the opportunity to flex their second amendment rights on an intruder. I feel genuinely sorry for this guy, but I find it hard to believe there weren't alternatives. Shoot in the air. Shoot at the ground. Instead he shot to kill because I think the idea of that frankly excites gun owners. They own handguns for "protection" but rarely shoot to maim or stop an intruder. They mostly shoot to kill them, because they think it is their right, and what are they if not Americans constantly flexing their rights? This is sad, and it is the result of an overanxious person with a legal firearm. Now, his life is ruined and his son is dead. I'm sure he wishes he didn't own a gun in hindsight.

I am inclined to think maybe there is a piece or person missing here. What if it is a case of son like the father? What if the son heard or saw something and went to investigate it; somewhat ninja style, like a kid would think. Then because there were two people “investigate” (father and son) the really culprit leaves the scene. Then the father and son confront one another, but never take that moment to get clarity, and the son thinks the dad is the bad guy and the dad thinks the son is the bad guy and… They did say this whole thing was out of character for the kid.

The father wasn't wearing a mask, so the kid must have known it was his dad..and that dad has a gun. He lunged at his dad on purpose...suicide by dad?

The aunt should have called 911 first...and the dad should have called 911 before he went over...cops are trained and they might not have killed the kid; maybe just tazedhim, or shot him in a non-lethal way.

"what he thought was a masked prowler" He not only thought it, it appears he WAS a prowler attempting to burglarize his aunt's house.

Interesting how many commentators on this thread have to wildly twist or worse yet, fully ignore, the facts as reported in order to make their case. The law of self defense in most states draws a bright line between actions that can be taken inside one's home for defense of property and persons, and actions that can be taken outside the dwelling. But of course everyone wants to play the, "well, ignore the actual facts of THIS case, what if the facts were different?" game. So confounding, so very frustrating, when the facts don't fit our preconceptions, isn't it??

The argument goes like this: since I have the 2nd Amendment right to own a gun, I can shoot and kill someone leaning over my bed with a knife poised at my throat in the middle of the night in self-defense, ergo, I have the same right to leave my dwelling, pursue, shoot and kill anyone who looks suspicious outside my dwelling, who appears armed with a shiny object but who is nowhere near me or those under my roof. Quo erat demonstratum; bang, bang, bang; where's my Hoppes #9??

Ya'll better have very damned good attorneys if you think that argument will wash in court. And yes, I own firearms, I hunt, and I've trained my children in the safe, responsible use of arms.

Sorry to dash your rabid fervor with such pesky details, but as a matter of common law, those details are critical. All the more reason to proceed with extraordinary caution, not an itchy trigger finger and complete disregard of the law of self-defense.

I bet he wished he never had a gun.

Terrible thing here. Enough with the guns, I knit, imagine what you could do with a knitting needle. People kill people.

Since when did hauling off and shooting prowlers -- whom we're supposed to believe acted in a "threatening manner": -- become acceptable behavior? Life isn't an adventure movie, populated only with good guys and bad guys, but an increasing number of yahoos seem to feel otherwise. As I see it, there are simply too many guns in circulation, and far too many of those are in the hands of halfwits.

Sir, get yourself another attorney. This idiot, announcing that you won't face charges and that the shooting was "accidental," should not be practicing criminal law.

This is tragic and I do not think the son was shot intentionally but from what I have read the gun was unregistered and illegal if that information is correct the father should be charged with having an illegal gun. No gun no dead kid at least not at his father's hands.

This is just such a sad story. No one will probably ever know why the child was doing what he was doing. I hope the father can pull himself back together and try to go on with his life.

Illegal gun? Prosecute as usual. But the shooting SOUNDS justified.