Henderson, Nevada police say a
14-year-old boy was shot and killed by his own father.
According to Las Vegas NBC affiliate
KSNV, 53-year-old Wendell Melton shot his teenage son Giovanni Melton
following an argument family members say was about Giovanni's
sexuality. Officers responding to a domestic disturbance call around
noon on Thursday rushed the juvenile to a hospital, where he
subsequently died.
Sonja Jones, Giovanni's former foster
mother, told the news outlet that “Giovanni was abused physically
and mentally and spiritually for many, many years.”
She added that Giovanni's father had a
problem with his son being gay and that she heard from family members
that part of the heated argument that led to Giovanni's death was
about his sexual orientation.
“He hated the fact that his son was
gay,” Jones
said. “I'm sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have
a dead son than a gay son.”
Jones added that she heard that Wendell
“had caught [his son] with his boyfriend and pulled out a gun on
him.”
“I hope they throw the book at him,”
she continued. “I hope he never sees the light of day. I hope
every day when he looks in the mirror he sees his son's face.”
Henderson police arrested Wendell at
the scene and charged him with murder, child abuse and prohibited
person possessing a firearm.