Father shoots son during Thanksgiving argument over kneeling NFL players

A North Carolina man is accused of shooting one of his sons on Thanksgiving after an argument broke out over NFL players kneeling to protest police brutality.

Jorge Luis Valencia Lamadrid, 51, of Cary, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, according to Wake County arrest records. His son, Esteban Valencia, 21, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

CBS 17 in Raleigh reported that the shooting took place around 5 p.m. Thursday as Lamadrid and his family sat down to Thanksgiving dinner. Warrants obtained by the news station indicated that the argument began between Valencia, who had been drinking throughout the day, and his older brother.

As the siblings became confrontational, Lamadrid told Valencia to leave, the warrants said. The argument between his sons became physical, and Lamadrid told police he tried to separate the younger men but was not strong enough.

That's when he retrieved his shotgun, CBS 17 reported.

Valencia went into the backyard, but another of Lamadrid’s sons began arguing with the older man, blaming him for the confrontation, the warrants said. Lamadrid told him to leave, and he complied.

Once the other son left, Valencia returned to the house and continued arguing with Lamadrid, the news station reported. Lamadrid took his son's luggage and tossed it onto the back porch.

The son Valencia had been arguing with threw the bags into the yard, at which point Valencia started throwing patio furniture, according to the warrants. He also threw a water bottle at his father, who was still holding the shotgun.

Lamadrid told investigators the bottle struck him in the face, causing him to squeeze the trigger, CBS 17 reported. Valencia was struck in the hand and the leg.

After checking on his son, Lamadrid said he went inside to dress and await police, the warrants said.

The highly divisive NFL protests began in 2016 when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee during the pre-game national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality against black suspects.

Kaepernick’s protest set off nationwide protests and condemnation from opponents who believe the protests disrespect the flag and the military.

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