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A dispute between an allegedly drug-crazed man and his parents ended in gunfire Tuesday morning at a Hobble Creek Canyon home, the Utah County Sheriff's Office says.
Lt. Erik Knutzen said a 911 call came in about 8:30 a.m. from the residence, located in the Holiday Hills Subdivision. The caller said the 29-year-old suspect, the son of the couple living at the home, had attacked them.
The suspect later told deputies he had been using methamphetamine prior to the incident. The investigation was ongoing, but the man was "acting erratic" and may have been hallucinating, Knutzen said.
The parents, in their 60s, suffered "blunt force" injuries from fists and various household objects.
An ambulance took the 68-year-old father and 67-year-old mother to Utah Valley Hospital in Provo in serious condition. The mother suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding, according to a news release from the sheriff's office, and she may need surgery before she is released. The father was released later Tuesday.
"We do believe at this point that this was a self-defense situation," Knutzen said of the father shooting his son one time in each of his legs.
The suspect, who had been on felony drug probation for just two months, initially was in critical condition when flown to the Provo hospital by helicopter. He later was reported to have been stabilized but is expected to remain in the hospital for at least a few days, said Utah County Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
When the suspect is discharged from the hospital, the release said, he will be booked into the Utah County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, Cannon said, adding that there will be additional charges related to other actions the suspect allegedly took during the attack.
Tribune reporter Mariah Noble contributed to this story.
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