Minnesota Man Allegedly Shoots Father ‘Execution-Style’ in Hunting Cabin: ‘He Entered to Kill Him’
(Image: Pine County Sherriff’s Office/ Facebook)
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 relatives, according to a report by Law and Crime.
A 911 caller reported that two men arrived at his property and claimed that Hazlett III had shot his 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 police the family was eating dinner when he received a motion alert from a trail camera outside. Checking the livestream, he saw someone armed walking toward the cabin.
“Holy s—, someone just walked through our gate with a pistol in their hand,” the man recalled, adding that he rushed to retrieve his handgun. Before he could, Hazlett III allegedly burst into the room and began firing. Witnesses described a harrowing 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 relatives to sit on the couch and pleaded for their lives. According to the affidavit, one survivor said Hazlett II was still “breathing a little bit” when Hazlett III walked over and fatally shot him in the head to “make sure” he was dead. “He entered with a mission … he entered to kill him,” the survivor told police.
Family members indicated a history of conflict between the father and son, who reportedly “weren’t getting along and hadn’t for a long time.” While the motive remains unclear, witnesses described Hazlett III as “very coherent” during the attack. Police later apprehended Hazlett III at his Cambridge home, where they found his 2014 black Ford Fusion, allegedly used to drive to the cabin, Fox 9 reports.
He is now in custody at the Pine County Jail on a $3 million bond, facing charges of second-degree murder, burglary, and kidnapping. This wasn’t the first police encounter involving the family. About a month earlier, Hazlett II called authorities to report his son trespassing at the property, during which Hazlett III was reportedly intoxicated.
