TUCSON, Ariz. — Police charged a man who allegedly killed his father with a homemade weapon after an argument.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department told The Arizona Republic that officers were called to a residence for a reported shooting on Oct. 20, where they found Howard Ocskai, 56, with gunshot wounds. Ocskai was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Ocskai’s son, Nicholas Ocskai, was arrested at the scene and charged.
Court documents obtained by The Arizona Daily Star allege the father and son were arguing when Howard Ocskai produced a handgun and pointed it at his son. Both men then separated and went to their respective homes, both of which sit on the same property.
Nicholas Ocskai told police that his father came into his trailer and another fight broke out, during which his father put him in a chokehold and began to strangle him, KOLD reported. Ocskai also told police that his father poked him in the stomach with his cane.
Ocskai allegedly told police that he had a homemade shotgun, which he went to put together after he got away from his father, The Arizona Daily Star reported. Nicholas told police that as he was putting the shotgun together, it went off, striking his father in the torso.
Ocskai showed the weapon, described as being made of two black pipes with a metal end cap and a nail, to investigators and demonstrated how it fired shotgun shells, KOLD reported.
Court records obtained by The Arizona Daily Star include a text message allegedly sent by Howard Ocskai to his wife saying that everyone was “OK” and that Nicholas Ocskai had shoved him and had been banging on the house with “this metal pipe weapon thing.”
His son was charged with second-degree murder, The Arizona Republic reported.