A man shot his father in the back of the head as he was sleeping, Colorado police have said.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) was alerted to reports of a person, later revealed to be suspect Joseph Tippet, 36, with a gun at the 400 block of South Reynolds, in Cañon City, on Friday, January 6.
According to the Cañon City Daily Record, the wife of the suspect, Joseph Tippet, 36, alerted authorities as she had received a voicemail where he allegedly claimed to have fatally shot his father. Her name was not made public as she is an alleged victim of domestic violence.
An affidavit obtained by the publication stated Tippet reportedly told his wife that he had shot his father twice, in the home where they lived together, at about 6:30 p.m. local time.
The FCSO SWAT team was sent to the home at about 10 p.m. where officers carried out a sweep of the area and found William Tippet had two apparent gunshot wounds in the back of his head.
An FCSO news release shared on Monday, January 9, read: “At this location, the deputies located a deceased male with signs of trauma. Based on information collected at the scene, a person of interest was identified and has been taken into custody.”
The Cañon City Daily Record reported, citing authorities, that Tippet told them he shot his father while he slept and had consumed alcohol and marijuana that day, but that he had not felt their effects.
“Joseph stated that William had been in bed sleeping during this time,” the affidavit stated. “Joseph [said] he grabbed his .45 cal. Handgun and approached William. Joseph stated that William was asleep in his bed facing away from Joseph. Joseph [said] he stood behind William and shot him one time in the back of the head.”
The Gun Violence Archive, a database that collects information about shootings from across the country, said seven people have been fatally shot in Colorado since January 1 this year.
According to a different FCSO news release, Tippet was charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Tippet is to next appear in court for a filing-of-charges appearance on January 18, according to the Cañon City Daily Record.
Newsweek has contacted the FCSO for comment.
Earlier in January, a woman was shot in the head in front of her children as they traveled down the I-85 in South Carolina.
The family had spent the evening watching monster trucks at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville and were headed back toward their home in Stephens County, in Georgia.
Heather Stevanus was able to survive the shooting and police have launch