Ohio: Dad fatally shot as he tried to 'jump on' son, ex-wife told 911

Columbus, Ohio

From the Columbus Dispatch of March 28, 2008

Dad fatally shot as he tried to 'jump on' son, ex-wife told 911

A South Side man fatally shot his father Monday after the father "went to jump on" him during a fight in the family home, according to a 911 call to police.

In a weary, subdued voice, Janice Carson detailed in the tape-recorded call the moments that led up to the killing of Steven J. Carson about 3:40 p.m. inside her home at 1348 Oakwood Ave.

Steven Carson, 51, no longer lived there, Janice Carson said, but she didn't explain why he was in the house.

"My ex-husband came in and went to jump on my son, and my son has shot his father," she told the call-taker.

Steven Carson was shot once, according to police. In an inventory of items police said they took during a search of the home were a .45-caliber Ruger handgun, a shell casing and a pillowcase.

Homicide detectives have not charged the son, identified in various police and court documents as Derick W. Carson, 23. They said the younger Carson might have acted in self-defense, and the case will be presented to a grand jury.

A woman who answered the front door of the home yesterday politely declined to comment, calling the shooting a devastating family tragedy.

In 2000, Steven Carson was charged with aggravated menacing and domestic violence, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records. Arrest documents accused him of threatening to kill Janice Carson, and he ultimately was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence and placed on probation for two years.

During Monday's 911 call, the Carson home was quiet except for Janice Carson's voice. She said she thought Steven Carson was dead and that her son had dropped the gun after the shooting and was seated on the stairs.

"He's in shock," she said.

She told the call-taker that her son wasn't injured.

"He ran from his father," she said.

Later in the call, Janice Carson could be heard saying, "Here, Derick, give me the gun. Sit down."

She then told the call-taker that she was holding her son, and quiet sobbing is heard.

"It'll be all right, Derick," she said. "It'll be all right."

Moments later, police officers are heard at the door.