Man Talks About Shooting His ‘Demon Possessed’ Mentally Ill Son In Chest During Disturbing 911 Call

A man shot his mentally ill son in the chest because he says he was “demon possessed” and trying to burn down the house. A disturbing 911 call details the attack.

The Gaston Gazette reports that the incident happened in Gaston County, North Carolina, following what 78-year-old Ralph George Wilson called a demonic possession. Around 12:20 Tuesday morning, Gaston County police say, the father woke to find his son, 52-year-old Ralph Gregory Wilson, pouring lighter fluid on the couch. The son then threatened to burn down the house.

According to the police report, the younger Wilson came toward his father, who says he was left with no choice but to shoot him. He shot his son in the chest with a handgun. The younger Wilson was then taken by ambulance to CaroMont Regional Medical Center, where doctors say his injuries are not life-threatening. Though the situation is odd, police say that it appears the older Wilson was acting in self-defense.

The most bizarre part of the entire ordeal is the 911 call made by the father following the incident. In the 8-minute call you can hear the older Wilson discussing his son’s mental problems and struggles “with demons.” The father says his son was “talking some crazy stuff about demons” before the incident.

“I got a bipolar boy who was trying to set my house a fire last night. He was doing it again and he come at me and I shot him… The demons is tormenting him. He is demon possessed he tells me all the time they are tormenting him.”

During the call, the father tells the 911 operator that he shot his son in the chest but he was still walking around the front yard. The father says, “it was either me or him” and implies it was all self-defense.

“It was either me or him. I’m gonna protect myself. I’m tired of him.”

It appears the issues between the father and son were ongoing, with the son frequently pushing down his mother and threatening family members. The older Wilson’s story of self-defense is corroborated by a neighbor who says the younger Wilson had tried to kill his father the day before.

“A neighbor also called 911 when the younger Ralph Wilson came to her home after the shooting. She told an operator she knew about the trouble in the Wilson home and said the son almost killed his dad the day before.”

You can listen to the full 911 audio recording here. No charges have been filed against the older Wilson as of yet. Police are currently reviewing the case but say it is appears to be an act of self defense.