Son Uses Handgun to Save Mom from Hammer-Wielding Attacker

The son was taken into custody by police, but not charged. The son told police he shot Hardin in self-defense.

AWR Hawkins writes:

According to News Channel 3, “Tony Hardin was in the middle of heated of with his live-in girl friend and her adult son.” Police say Hardin “ran after the two with a hammer and wrench, and threatened to kill them.”

Here’s the News Channel 3 report:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man shot his mother’s boyfriend to save her from an alleged attack. Now the boyfriend faces several aggravated assault charges.

“We ain’t ever had this kind of experience. I’ve been here since 1958. I ain’t never seen that.”

— 88-year-old John Booker, neighbor

The attack on the family also sparked terror for neighbors on the street.

A chipped brick is just inches away from a window on Barksdale Cove. The brick cut after a bullet punctured it.

“It was frightening; I could have been in the dining room, near that window. I could have been killed,” said 88-year-old John Booker, who heard the shots when the a bullet struck the side of his house.

Booker was not the target of the gun fire. He lives across the street from the house where a violent family feud sparked Tuesday night.

Police say Tony Hardin was in the middle of a heated argument with his live-in girlfriend and her adult son. They say a drunk Hardin ran after the two with a hammer and wrench, and threatened to kill them. Read the rest of this entry »