COMO – A Como man was arrested last week after an escalated domestic dispute resulted in shots being fired at the suspect’s residence.

Fifty-year old Junior Lee Mason of 138 Rose Road was placed in the Hertford County Jail under a $25,500 secured bond and a $35,000 cash bond after allegedly firing shots at his 21-year old son, Junior Williams.

At approximately 5 p.m. on July 27, dispatch operators received an emergency phone call from one of Mason’s family members alerting them to the incident.

Information relayed to Captain Tim Lassiter of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Office claimed that the father and son had gotten into a verbal argument after Mason moved a television set Williams was watching out of the room.

&uot;We received a call that the subject was shooting at his son on Rose Road,&uot; said Lassiter, citing Hertford County Deputy Bonji Woods as the first to arrive on the scene.

&uot;Sometime during the dispute, Mason is believed to have sprayed pepper spray in Williams’ eyes,&uot; said Lassiter.

&uot;Williams then followed Mason out to the barn and physically assaulted him, which led to Mason retrieving a 12-gauge shotgun and firing three shots at his son.&uot;

An investigation conducted by Hertford County Chief Deputy Ronnie Stallings and Murfreesboro Police Captain Chris Sumner, who assisted Woods in arresting Mason, yielded the firearm as well as shell cases in addition to the discovery and seizure of some marijuana plants in a vase behind Mason’s barn.

&uot;When Deputy Woods arrived at the residence, he noticed that Mason appeared to be under the influence of an impairing substance,&uot; said Lassiter.

Still in jail as of Friday, Mason faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling, possession of a controlled substance and simple assault.

&uot;This situation could have very easily escalated to a point where deputies could have used deadly force,&uot; said Lassiter. &uot;I am definitely glad that no one was hurt. The deputies were timely in their arrival to the scene and did an excellent job in apprehending the subject.&uot;

Williams managed to flee the scene and sustained no bodily injury.