Father devastated after he fatally shot older son who was threatening to stab and kill his younger son
A father had to shoot one of his sons dead after he held his brother in a chokehold with a "rather large butterfly knife" over his head. 56-year-old John Maloney was reportedly left "shattered" after having to take the drastic step to protect his other son, with Martin County Sheriff William Snyder confirming that the father had not been arrested or charged because he was justified in his use of deadly force.
According to People, Maloney's wife Marie had called 911 at around 5:47 am on the morning of Sunday, December 16 and told the dispatcher that their 30-year-old son, Joseph, was acting "irrational and needs to be Baker Acted." The Florida Mental Health Act, better known as the Baker Act, allows for involuntary examination and detention of an individual who can be proven to be a danger to themselves or someone else, and the circumstances certainly indicated that Joseph posed an imminent threat.