A Minnesota man has been charged with murder after allegedly killing his father in front of other family members at a hunting cabin in Hinckley.
Kirk Edward Hazlett III, 31, is facing two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of first-degree burglary for the tragic shooting of his 64-year-old father, Kirk Edward Hazlett II, on November 15.
According to police reports, Hazlett fired nine shots at his father, including one to the head, leaving the victim to die in a pool of blood on the cabin’s living room floor.
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Deputies were called to the scene at around 8:44 p.m. when two men arrived at a nearby house and told authorities that Hazlett had just shot his father.
They led investigators to the cabin, where they found the victim’s body.
Hazlett’s uncle, who was at the cabin with the victim, told police that they had been eating dinner when they saw someone on the property through the cabin’s trail camera.
The uncle grabbed a gun, but when he returned, he heard three gunshots.
Upon entering the cabin, he saw Hazlett standing with a gun, and the victim was still breathing.
The uncle said Hazlett then ordered him and another man to sit on the couch before shooting his father again in the back of the head to make sure he was dead.
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Hazlett then took the men’s cell phones and allowed them to leave. The uncle told investigators that Hazlett and his father had been estranged for years and that Hazlett had strained relationships with many family members.
A month before the shooting, first responders had been called to the cabin after Hazlett threatened his father while intoxicated, and he was banned from the property.
Later that night, Hazlett called police about his girlfriend making suicidal threats, and his phone was traced to a location about eight miles from the scene.
An autopsy confirmed the victim had been shot nine times, including the fatal shot to the head.