80-year-old father shoots, kills adult son, police say

SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators are trying to figure out whether they'll charge a Chattachoochee Hills man who shot and killed his son early Tuesday morning.

Just after 4 a.m., a single shot ended the man's life outside his parents' Cascade Palmetto Parkway home.

“He had thrown a rock through the glass,” said Chattahoochee Hills Police Chief Stoney Mathis. “He had hit the front door with a piece of glass several times and the father shot one bullet through the door and struck the son in the head.”

Mathis said the father, Lance Fountain, is in his early 80s and his son, Troy Fountain, was in his 50s. Troy Fountain's mother, along with another adult sibling were home at the time of the shooting.

“He seemed a little distraught, probably like anybody would be. He seemed distraught. His wife was there at the house and she seemed upset as well,” Mathis said.

For several hours, police remained sprawled across the property, which is tucked in the woods.

The focus of the investigation is centered on the father and son's history. Channel 2's Nicole Carr learned through public records that the two had a terse relationship, with the father calling police in recent years.

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“He had filed a report of his son stealing some things and also previous drug history,” Mathis said. “We're trying to determine if it was self-defense or if, indeed, everything took place the way they say it took place.”

The family declined to speak without an attorney.

This case is likely to be sent to a grand jury that will determine whether the motive was self-defense.

The police chief said there was initial confusion as to the jurisdiction in which the house belongs.

"The address actually has an Atlanta zipcode and it comes back, even on our taxes, as the city of Atlanta,” Mathis said.

Despite the Atlanta designation in tax records, the home is the last property within the Chattahoochee Hills police jurisdiction. The driveway, which was not a part of the crime scene, hugs the city of South Fulton, prompting their police response.

"So that's why it's so confusing in that particular area,” Mathis said.

Cox Media Group