Cops: Son Shoots Father Over 'Smelly Feet' Argument

Police in Iowa say an adult son nearly took his father's life over an argument about smelly feet, reports KWQC. David Carpenter, a 48-year-old resident of Burlington, is jailed and charged with attempted murder. Police say he called them to report he had shot his father in the face, and officers found the older man, identified as William Carpenter, in the house, per KCCI. He was taken to the hospital with wounds that were not described as life-threatening. Both men told police that argument began over what William Carpenter terms "David's stinky feet."

Their bickering escalated over other family issues, said David Carpenter, and he said he retrieved a gun from his room after his father threatened to shoot him. The son said he pointed the gun at the face of his father, who was in an electric scooter, and he told police he accidentally pulled the trigger. The Guardian sees it as "a case that illustrates how quickly relatively minor, interpersonal quarrels can escalate into shootings." (More shooting stories.)