Authorities: Columbiana man shoots his son

Staff report

HOMEWORTH

A family dispute in Columbiana County’s Knox Township resulted in a father shooting his son Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from a home on U.S. Route 62 just south of Beloit in Mahoning County just before 11 a.m. and found that James Ludt had been shot in the leg four times with a .22-caliber rifle, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.

Ludt’s father told deputies he shot his son to defend his wife after his son threatened to beat his parents with a cane, Sheriff Ray Stone told the TV station.

The younger Ludt is being treated at Mercy Hospital in Canton for injuries that are not life-threatening, according to reports. The sheriff will turn over the evidence to the county prosecutor to determine if charges will be filed.