According to police and prosecutors, a 72-year-old woman in Arizona opened fire on her adult son during a fight over video game noise, shooting him in the stomach and sending him to the hospital after he became too loud while playing.
Hazel Benson of Mesa was arrested Saturday night after allegedly shooting her 38-year-old son during a heated domestic dispute at her home near Higley Road and Main Street, according to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate KPNX.
The Mesa Police Department says it responded to the shooting around 8:50 p.m. on Saturday and discovered Benson’s son with non-life-threatening injuries. The victim was shot once in the stomach, and Benson is now facing charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and discharge of a firearm within city limits.
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Benson allegedly told investigators that she fired the gun and then threw it in a canal. She claimed the two had been fighting, and her son had gone for a walk to “calm down” before returning to find Benson blocking the door.
Benson allegedly shot her son as he lunged at her with “his hands in fists,” according to KPNX. According to the station, she allegedly told police that she was unsure whether she had fired once or multiple times.
According to KPNX, officers were called to Benson’s home prior to her son’s shooting for another service call earlier that night, during which Benson expressed frustration with the noise level.
Benson faces charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, and discharge of a firearm within city limits. Mesa is approximately 20 miles southeast of Phoenix.
“Never any incidents, ever before,” one of Benson’s neighbors told local Fox affiliate KSAX.
“I can’t imagine his mother shooting him,” said resident Chris Hammond.
“I heard three gunshots,” Hammound explained. “So, boom, boom, boom. It looked like it was three in a row.”
Benson’s son is expected to make a full recovery following his hospitalization.