Police: Matteson Man Shot, Killed Son In Self-Defense
MATTESON, Ill. (CBS) -- Police in south suburban Matteson have decided not to charge a man with killing his son, saying it was self-defense.
As WBBM Newsradio's Nancy Harty reports, the 59-year-old man was released from custody on Wednesday without any charges against him.
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Police said he had suffered injuries from a metal bat in the scuffle with his son.
When police arrived on the scene Sunday night at about 9 p.m., the father met them in the front yard of the home he and his son rented in the 3700 block of West 216th Street, and told them he shot his son, Timothy Lithgow Jr., 26.
The son was pronounced dead in the living room from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Matteson Deputy Police Chief Ken Arvin said there was a "physical altercation" between the father and son over money and it escalated.
"It's a shame," Arvin said. "It's truly a family tragedy."
Calls to a number listed in the family's name went unanswered Wednesday.
Sunday was not the first time police were called to the Lithgow home, Arvin said. Police have had contact with both father and son before, Arvin said.
According to records, the son was charged in 2007 with two counts of battery, criminal trespass and criminal damage to property by Orland Park police, and charged with battery in 2009 by Tinley Park police.
THe Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
