Political family disputes can definitely get heated during the holidays, but one family in North Carolina took it to a dangerous level.
According to the Associated Press, a man allegedly shot his son on Thanksgiving during a heated debate about the NFL anthem policy and kneeling protests. Local Cary, North Carolina police say it all started when 21-year-old Esteban Marley Valencia and his brother began arguing at dinner over the protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
Their father, 51-year-old Jorge Luis Valencia-Lamadrid, claims Valencia began physically attacking his brother. Lamadrid then decided to grab his shotgun after realizing he wasn’t physically strong enough to separate the fight. He first asked Valencia to leave, but his son later returned and began throwing outdoor furniture.
Lamadrid reportedly pulled the trigger after his son hit him in the face with a water bottle. Valencia was shot in the hand and the leg, and taken to the hospital. His father was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. The local CBS 17 station reported that, no surprises here, Valencia had been “drinking heavily” before the fight broke out.
Lamadrid is currently out on bond.
Despite the NFL’s new anthem policy, several players and a cheerleader have continued to carry out Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice. The policy states players are not be required to be on the field for the anthem, but if they are on the field and take a knee, their team will be fined. The league is reportedly not really enforcing the new rule this season.
