Inset: Michael Vernie Owens (Lubbock County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The residence where Owens allegedly shot and killed his adult son in Lubbock, Tex. (Google Maps).
A tragic incident unfolded in Texas this week, leading to the arrest of a 78-year-old man who confessed to shooting and killing his son. The Texas law enforcement authorities have charged Michael Vernie Owens with murder following the death of his 37-year-old son, Michael Joseph Owens, as confirmed by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office.
The harrowing event took place on Wednesday evening at a residence located on 126th Street in Lubbock. The sheriff’s office reported that they received a distress call about gunfire at approximately 7:20 p.m. The call came from the alleged shooter himself, who dialed 911 to report the incident.
During the emergency call, Michael Vernie Owens allegedly informed the dispatchers that he had shot and killed his son. Responding to the call, deputies arrived at the suburban neighborhood, characterized by its green lawns and tree-lined streets, where they found the younger Owens with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, as detailed in court documents reviewed by Lubbock’s NBC affiliate KCBD.
Upon their arrival, the deputies were met by the elder Owens, who identified himself as the deceased’s father. This admission added a grim layer to the already tragic scene, leaving the community stunned and seeking answers.
Deputies arrived at the sprawling ranch style residence on the green-lawned and tree-lined suburban street to find the younger Owens with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, according to court documents obtained by Lubbock-based NBC affiliate KCBD.
After the gruesome discovery, Michael Vernie Owens approached the deputies and explained that he was the victim’s father, authorities say.
The defendant then offered a story to account for the fatal violence, investigators said. Michael Vernie Owens told the deputies his son had been taking Social Security money out of his bank account for the past several months, according to law enforcement. The defendant went on to say his son had threatened him more than once in the past and had even assaulted him on some prior occasions.
None of those purported assaults — allegedly committed by the son against the father — were reported, the sheriff’s office said.
“I’m going to kill you,” the son allegedly told the father, the defendant told the deputies. But the threatening phrase, however, became so commonplace “that it lost its value,” the defendant said.
On the day of the killing, Michael Vernie Owens went to open a new bank account and transfer his money into it so his son would no longer be able to access the funds, the man allegedly told law enforcement.
But when he returned home from the bank, his son confronted him outside of an RV parked on the property and said he found out about the trip, the defendant said. Then came the familiar threat, he added.
This time, he said, the threat came with action.
The defendant said his son whispered: “I’m going to kill you” and made a move for him, according to the court documents. That’s when the older man used his gun to shoot his son in the head.
“I think I snapped,” Michael Vernie Owens allegedly told detectives. “I either snapped or had enough.”
The defendant is being detained in the Lubbock County Detention Center on $250,000 bond, sheriff’s office records show.
