Son shoots family dogs, then he and his dad kill each other, Alabama police say

An armed confrontation between a father and son ended with both men dead in Alabama, authorities say.

The two both shot and killed each other during a dispute over dogs, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Kelvin Nicholas Coker, 32, had shot at several of the dogs owned by him and his father, killing two, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

After the father, Kelvin James Coker, 60, found one of the dogs dead Saturday night, he grabbed a pistol and drove to his son’s Wagarville home to confront him, Sheriff Richard Stringer told WPMI.

The son reportedly told his father he killed at least one dog. The father fired a shot, hitting his son in the thigh, according to the sheriff, WALA reported.

The son fired back, up close with a shotgun, killing his dad, Stringer told WALA.

The son died from his gunshot wound at the scene, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

Nicholas Coker also killed a second dog, according to the sheriff’s office, but it’s not clear if it belonged to him or his father.

Chief Investigator Blake Richardson told WKRG that he has never seen another shooting like it in his 16 years of law enforcement.

Two family members at the scene provided police with accounts of what took place, Stringer told McClatchy News.

Stringer said the Cokers have a history of domestic violence and that some of his deputies had responded to a call from the home just a few days earlier, WPMI reported.

The case remains under investigation, the news release said.

This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 5:55 PM.