Dad who killed 3-month-old son shot by troopers (Vienna, New York)

We posted on this story when it first broke, when the killer was just an unidentified man. I said then that this was probably not a stranger, but either the father or a boyfriend/father figure. I was right. It was the baby's DAD, ADAM THEALL, who deliberately shot this 3-month-old infant to death. And in a blaze of freaking Daddy Drama that can't be beat. AFTER three New York State troopers will called to the scene in a 911 call, who were also (apparently) shot at by this charming father. After the father killed the baby, the troopers shot Daddy Dearest, who is now in critical condition. Sounds harsh, but I wish they had just finished him off. Would have saved the mother and the tax payers a lot of future grief.

Notice there are no "he seemed like such a nice guy" comments from the neighbors. Nope, this guy was scum and everybody knew it. Long criminal history including assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Lots of police calls to the home for "domestic disputes" (translation: Daddy acting violently towards other family members).

I'm sure there will be pious finger pointing at the mother. But honestly, how easy to do you think it would have been to leave this guy? Especially with your life, what's left of your physical and mental health, and with complete custodial rights over your child? Not good, especially in upstate New York, which has long been dominated by the father's rights crowd. I know this first hand, got the T-shirt.

Hat tip to S.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100623/NEWS90/100629920

Cops: NY man kills infant son, is shot by troopers
Published: 7:20 AM - 06/23/10
Last updated: 7:21 AM - 06/23/10

VIENNA, N.Y. – A young father with a long criminal history, including assault charges, fatally shot his 3-month-old son in front of state troopers Tuesday morning, then was shot and critically wounded by officers.

Adam Theall, 21, was outside the home in rural Oneida County in upstate New York when troopers arrived after getting 911 calls around 9:30 a.m. that he had threatened to kill the child.

He fired a shotgun at the baby, Eithen Theall, then turned it on the three troopers who had arrived at the scene, according to State Police Capt. Francis Coots. They all fired at him.

"He was intent on killing his child," Coots said. "The report from 911 was that he was going to kill his child. As soon as the trooper got out of the car, he did it."

The boy was declared dead at a hospital.

Theall, of nearby Rome, was hit several times and was in critical condition. Police had been called for domestic disputes in the past at the house, which is in a wooded area of widely separated homes about 200 miles northwest of New York City. The child's mother was at the home during the attack.

"We did fire at him immediately after he shot the child," Coots said, adding that the troopers told Theall several times to drop the gun.

There were conflicting statements from police about whether Theall fired at the troopers.

"It's a shock to know someone personally that would do something like that, but I'm not surprised by what happened," neighbor Amanda Westcott, who has known Theall since he was 16, told the Observer-Dispatch of Utica. "I've seen him in action."

Outside the mobile home Tuesday were a swing set, a frog-shaped swimming pool and a bug-shaped child's push cart, along with a large weight bench and a broken-down oven. There were frequent disturbances at the home, Westcott said.

"That's all you could hear, is profanity and screaming and things hitting the wall," she told the newspaper.

Two other women were at the house with the child's mother when Theall opened fire. There were two other children younger than 5 in the house.

Theall was on probation for second-degree vehicular assault and had also been charged with misdemeanor assault and endangering the welfare of a child.