Mesa police: Father shoots, kills man beating up son

MESA, AZ - An investigation is under way after police said a father opened fire and killed a man that was beating his son in the family's Mesa front yard.

It happened around 5:30 a.m. Monday in Mesa near Power and Baseline roads.

Police told ABC15 the father heard a commotion in the front yard and went outside to see his son in a fight with at least two other men who turned out to be brothers.  

The father had a gun and allegedly shot one of the men attacking his son. That man later died at a hospital.  

Police don't know what the fight was about, but said the two sides have a history.

All of the men involved in the fight are in their 20s and 30s, according to police. The man's son lives with him at the home.

Neighbors didn't see anything, but did hear the commotion.  

"I didn't see anything, I was asleep," said one resident. "But I did hear the shots."  

"I have lived here for 11 years and never heard anything like that before," said Marty Rohde, who lives near the scene.

What police don't know or haven't released is whether any of the other men were armed, how badly the man's son was hurt, or if the father warned them before shooting.

A spokesperson from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said there are laws in Arizona that could justify this kind of shooting, but he cautions there is a lot of investigating to do and that every case is different.