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Man pleads not guilty in father's deadly Tacoma, WA shooting
Michael Courtney has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm after allegedly shooting and killing his father inside the family's Pierce County home.
TACOMA, Wash. - A man accused of shooting and killing his dad with a shotgun in Pierce County pleaded not guilty in court on Monday.
Michael Paul Courtney is being held on $1 million bail, charged with first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the death of his father.
The backstory:
Court documents state Courtney's mom and dad were inside their home off 142nd Street Court South in Parkland with Michael. They were watching the Mariners game on TV, and his dad went upstairs to take his nightly meds when he heard his son talking to someone.
When he asked him who he was talking to, Courtney's mom allegedly heard her husband say, "Are you pointing a gun at me?" and then a gunshot. She rushed upstairs to find her husband shot in the chest.
The mother fled the house to call 911, and Courtney's dad later died inside an ambulance.
Courtney's attorney entered a not guilty plea for him in Pierce County court on Monday.
Records show Courtney has one felony conviction in 2011 for third-degree assault and five previous gross misdemeanor convictions dating back to 2002.
What they're saying:
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office released the following statement regarding the fatal shooting:
"On October 10th, just after 8:00pm, deputies were dispatched to a shooting in Parkland for a 41-year-old son who shot his 63-year-old father. The suspect fled to a bedroom and barricaded himself inside. Deputies were able to get the victim outside and administered life-saving measures. Sadly, the victim succumbed to his wounds.
"After about 20 minutes of negotiating with the suspect, the son came out of the bedroom and was taken into custody. There does appear to be a mental health component for the suspect, and detectives are investigating what led up to the incident."
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The Source: Information in this story came from court documents filed in Pierce County Superior Court, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.