ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) — Authorities in southwest Arkansas say an 85-year-old man fatally shot his adult son after mistaking him for an intruder at his home.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting happened early Wednesday in Arkadelphia, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) southwest of Little Rock. The sheriff’s office says 45-year-old Scott Copeland had a single gunshot wound to the chest, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The sheriff’s office says Copeland was trying to enter the home of his father, Curtis Copeland. Sheriff Jason Watson says the elder Copeland was holding a gun because he thought his home was being broken into, and the gun accidentally discharged.
According to Little Rock TV station KLRT, Watson says the shooting appears to be a “pure accident.”
