Chandler police: Man shoots son-in-law with flare gun

A Mesa man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder after he shot his son-in-law with a flare gun and tried to stab him with a pocket knife in Chandler, according to a police report.

The domestic dispute took place near Alma School Road and Pecos Road in Chandler on Saturday morning at 8:20 a.m., when George Brown, 67, shot his son-in-law in the abdomen with a flare gun and attempted to stab the victim with a folding knife in front of the victim's home, according to court documents.

Brown was engaged in a verbal argument with the victim before the shooting, then hit him in the face three times with a closed fist, police said. After Brown shot the victim with the flare gun, leaving him with an open wound and burns, Brown then attempted to stab the victim with a folding knife several times, the report said.

Witnesses heard Brown say that he was going to shoot the man and wanted him to burn to death, according to court documents. During an interview, Brown told investigators that he saw the man on the ground, moved toward him with a knife and said, "I was fixing to kill him."

Brown's son-in-law said he felt that he was going to die because of the stabbing, the report said.

Police found a knife in the rear pocket of Brown's pants.

The report also stated that there is a history of domestic violence between Brown and the victim's family.

Brown was arrested Saturday on suspicion of assault, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and attempted second-degree murder, and was being held on a $20,000 bond, according to court records.