Jorge Luis Valencia Lamadrid, of Cary, North Carolina, said he accidentally fired off a shot when his son threw a water bottle that hit him in the face.
A North Carolina man was arrested for allegedly shooting his own son on Thanksgiving after a fight over NFL athletes taking a knee while the national anthem is played.
Jorge Luis Valencia Lamadrid, 51, was readying to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with his family at his Cary home when two of his sons began bickering.
The young men, one 21 years old and the other older, were arguing over the idea of football players kneeling during the national anthem, warrants obtained by WNCN-TV said.
Lamadrid’s 21-year-old son, who had reportedly been drinking heavily, became confrontational with his older brother and the argument escalated into a physical fight, authorities said.
After telling his younger son to leave his home, Lamadrid tried separating the young men, and when he realized he was unable to, he apparently went to get his shotgun, according to WNCN-TV.
The 21-year-old man went to the backyard after seeing his father with a shotgun, but eventually came back in and began arguing with his father, who then put his son’s bags on the back porch.
Lamadrid’s other son, who had first argued with the 21-year-old man, threw the bags off the porch, and in response, the 21-year-old began throwing patio furniture in the backyard.
Lamadrid reportedly told police his son then threw a water bottle at him and it hit him in the face, causing him to accidentally squeeze the trigger and fire off a shot. That shot hit the 21-year-old son in the hand and leg, WNCN-TV reported. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Lamadrid was charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. He has since bonded out of jail, arrest records show.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first to kneel during the national anthem in August 2016 as a form of protest against social and racial injustice.
Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee elicited was both widely applauded and condemned. Nike earlier this year launched its "Dream Crazy" campaign featuring Kaepernick, a decision that, like Kaepernick’s stance, was equally lambasted and commended.
Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 but went unsigned. He filed a grievance against the league and team owners alleging they colluded to keep him off the field.
Other athletes, including Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson, wide receivers with the Miami Dolphins, and Eric Reid, a safety for the Carolina Panthers, have continued to kneel during the anthem.
RELATED STORIES
