A call about the shooting came into 911 after midnight on Monday, March 25, and deputies responded to a home near the west side of Tyler, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Deputies arrived to find 79-year-old Dell Howard Tilley with gunshot wounds, and he died despite life-saving measures, officials said.
Christopher Tilley, had recently brought an injured dog into the home, KLTV reported, citing an affidavit. He had been arguing about the new pet with his father for hours when gunshots suddenly rang out, Dell Tilley’s wife said, according to deputies.
Christopher Tilley’s sister told investigators her brother shot their father, the sheriff’s office said, and he was “immediately detained.”
In court records obtained by KYTX, officials say the father was shot in the neck and the abdomen.
While speaking with deputies, Tilley said it was a matter of self-defense, according to the outlet. During the argument, he said his father charged across the room and started choking him. They tussled with each other and, unable to get away from his dad, he pulled a gun from his waistband and fired, Tilley said, according to documents obtained by KYTX.
However, the affidavit said Tilley gave two different versions of events to investigators, KETK reported.
At first, Tilley said he and his father were struggling on the floor but later said his dad was against a dresser, adding that he only remembers firing one shot, the outlet reported, citing the affidavit.
Officials say the evidence doesn’t support Tilley’s story, according to KETK. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, but Tilley’s father had been shot three times, up close and at ground level, documents obtained by the station said.
Tilley was booked in the Smith County Jail on a charge of murder, and his bond is set at $750,000, the sheriff’s office said.
Tyler is about a 95-mile drive southeast from Dallas.
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