Ohio Dad, 79, Faces Domestic Violence Charge for Shooting Son Who Played Guitar Too Long

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By Lilian Scott , Parent Herald Oct 31, 08:30 pm

A 79-year-old Ohio dad is currently in jail because he was charged with domestic violence and felonious assault for shooting his 50-year-old son for playing the guitar for hours.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Fred Hensley Sr. was irritated that his son, Fred Hensley Jr., was strumming and rocking the guitar for too long. So, he fired his gun, which was a .380 pistol, to make his son stop.

Fred Sr. told the cops responding to the incident that he was aiming for the guitar, but the gun hit Fred Jr. on his side stomach and ribcage. Despite his wounds, Fred Jr. was still able to hit his father on the face; thus, the older man incurred facial wounds.

No Memory of Hitting His Father

The father was able to call 911 to inform the police that he "accidentally shot" his son. Authorities recovered the gun and the bullet's shell casing on the scene, as well as Fred Jr.'s guitar, which was riddled with bullet holes.

Fred Jr. told the cops that he has no memory of hitting his father. He was brought to the hospital for treatments and will likely survive his gunshot wounds. On the other hand, Fred Sr. was held in jail with a bail bond of $50,000. It's unclear if the father has gotten treatments for his facial wounds while inside the jail cell of the Hamilton County Justice Center.

A domestic violence charge is a first-degree misdemeanor in Ohio, where first offenders could be in prison for six months and fined $1,000. A person with prior convictions, however, could be sent to jail for a minimum of six months and a maximum of five years and fined from anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000

In some cases, the convicted person might be prevented from contacting the victim and need to be under probation or undergo anger management or alcohol and drug abuse counseling, depending on the judge's assessment.

The collateral consequences might include certain restrictions for professional licenses or difficulty in finding a job. However, the Ohio dad is most likely retired in this case, so the conviction will not impact his career. However, domestic violence records are usually permanent and never deleted, per Ohio state laws.

Prevalence of Gun Domestic Violence in the U.S.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), a gun in the house raises the risk of violence by 500 percent. Cases involving firearms are also 12 times more likely to cause someone's death than violence using bodily force or another weapon. While firearms are tools for protection, they can also be used to terrorize or intimidate the victims.

In July 2019, an 84-year-old Arizona dad killed his 58-year-old son in his sleep with a gun. Reports cited that the father, James Mellen Sr., was arguing with his son, James Mellen Jr., for most of the day. James Jr. went to bed to pacify himself, but his father shot him at some point during the night.

"If you find yourself in a domestic violence situation, please get away and get help," Sheriff David Clouse said. "It is not always a male-female relationship. Domestic violence knows no boundaries."