Father shoots son with a crossbow in Augusta, deputies say

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A man was arrested after shooting his son with a crossbow Friday afternoon, according to Richmond County deputies.

At 2:45 pm, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call on the 2300 block of Dorn Road to investigate a report of an assault.

The suspect, James Wesley Harn Jr., 67, shot his son, James Alexander Harn, 40, in the back with a crossbow, deputies reported.

The father then barricaded himself in the residence, deputies said. Deputies were able to take him into custody without further incident.

We spoke to a surprised neighbor who arrived home as officers responded to the scene.

“Dad got into a little dispute before, but it was nothing like all this,” said Allan Brody, Dorn Street resident.

Brody says he’s known the father for a while, mainly seeing him walking his dog up and down the street.

“A little after three, came home and was riding up the street. Seeing a couple of fire trucks, an ambulance, about six police cars,” he said.

Although he had no idea what was going on at the time, the neighbors he talked to were also in the dark.

“They had the front door open, and I believe it was the son standing out by the street, but that’s about all I knew. They were down there for a while,” said Brody.

The injured man was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, deputies said.

“There’s usually no trouble up and down this road. I hope he’s alright,” he said.

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