A Minnesota man, Kirk Edward Hazlett III, 31, has been accused of shooting and killing his father, Kirk Edward Hazlett II, in an “execution-style” attack at a remote hunting cabin on Friday. The shocking incident unfolded in front of several family members, according to a report from Law and crime.
A 911 caller reported that two men came to their property and claimed that Hazlett III had shot their father in the head. When authorities arrived, they found the elder Hazlett face down near a couch with nine gunshot wounds to his torso and head, according to a probable cause affidavit.
One survivor, later identified as Hazlett II’s brother, told the police The family was eating dinner when they received a motion alert from a trail camera outside. Checking the live feed, he saw someone armed walking towards the cabin.
“Holy shit, someone just walked through our door with a gun in their hand,” the man recalled, adding that he rushed to retrieve his gun. Before he could do so, Hazlett III allegedly burst into the room and began shooting. Witnesses described a heartbreaking scene. Hazlett II’s brother said he returned to find Hazlett III standing in the room with his father on the floor.
Hazlett III reportedly ordered the surviving family members to sit on the couch and pleaded for their lives. According to the sworn statement, said a survivor Hazlett II was still “breathing a little” when Hazlett III approached and fatally shot him in the head to “make sure” he was dead. “He came in with a mission… he came in to kill him,” the survivor told police.
Relatives indicated a history of conflict between father and son, who reportedly “did not get along and had not for a long time.” While the motive remains unclear, witnesses described Hazlett III as “very coherent” during the attack. Police later detained Hazlett III at his Cambridge home, where they found his black 2014 Ford Fusion, allegedly used to drive to the cabin. Fox 9 reports.
He is now being held in the Pine County Jail on $3 million bail and faces charges of second-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping. This was not the first police encounter involving the family. About a month earlier, Hazlett II called authorities to report his son trespassed on the property, during which Hazlett III was reportedly intoxicated.