Court footage showing Connor Zastrow on June 24 (WITI).
A Wisconsin man accused of shooting his father after the older man attempted to take his gun away has been classified as posing a serious threat to the public.
Connor Zastrow, 25, faces a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide with a domestic abuse enhancer after authorities said he shot his 52-year-old father on Father’s Day. A criminal complaint obtained by local ABC affiliate WISN says the incident unfolded Sunday on the front porch of the family’s Delafield, Wisconsin, home, where Zastrow had allegedly been “relaxing with his gun” before his father questioned why he needed to have it.
Additional details about the confrontation emerged after Zastrow made his initial court appearance on Wednesday, including an alleged threat he made involving a police officer.
The complaint states that Zastrow’s girlfriend was inside the home when the dispute began. She told investigators she heard Zastrow and his father arguing over “gun laws.” The confrontation allegedly escalated when Zastrow struck his father in the face. Moments later, she told police, she heard gunfire.
Authorities said Zastrow called 911 himself and reported firing at his father three times, with two rounds striking him in the abdomen. According to WISN, Zastrow attempted to stop his father’s bleeding while speaking with emergency dispatchers. His father was expected to survive. Police said the wounded man later told them, “The kid is not right,” in reference to his son.
In the complaint, police said Zastrow’s father had asked him why he believed he needed a gun. Zastrow allegedly responded, “If I had to use it for anybody, that officer that gave me the OWI, if he tries to do that or anything again, I would use it on him.”
During a search of the property, investigators said they discovered additional loaded firearms in Zastrow’s bedroom and vehicle, among them an AR-15-style rifle.
When police asked Zastrow why he allegedly shot his father, he reportedly said he was “just disturbed or homicidal, I guess.”
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Court Commissioner Christopher Bailey set Zastrow’s bond at $500,000, saying, “The danger he presents to the community is very significant, and his complete lack of emotion, given what is alleged here, is even more troubling in some ways.”
Bailey noted, “He seemed bothered by this person trying to take his gun away. I can only imagine what he would do to someone he didn’t have a relationship with.”
Zastrow is currently in custody at the Waukesha County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for July 1.
