BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A father has been taken into custody after his son was found dead from a gunshot wound inside a Buckeye hotel.
Wayland McAfee, 44, has been arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing his 20-year-old son on the night of Aug. 19 at My Place Hotel on Watson Road.
According to the Buckeye Police Department, officers responded to calls of gunfire at about 7 p.m. and found McAfee sitting at the doorway of one of the hotel's rooms.
The defendant was in a wheelchair and quickly pushed himself back into the room and attempted to close the door.
Police said the officer tried questioning McAfee and the suspect responded by pushing the officer with his wheelchair.
"The officer then saw the defendant, McAfee, was grabbing a black handgun from the front of his waistband," a police report states. "The officer then grabbed defendant's hand and was able to take the handgun away from him."
The handgun was thrown down the hallway and the officer continued fighting with McAfee. The officer claimed McAfee tried reaching for their service weapon.
"At this time, the officer feared that he could possibly be shot with his own weapon so he backed up and deployed his department-issued taser at the defendant," the police report added.
Both the officer and suspect were struck by the taser's shock and fell to the floor, where they continued struggling with each other.
More Buckeye police officers arrived and were able to detain McAfee and gained entry into his hotel room.
They found an unconscious man lying near the front door. He was transported to the hospital, where doctors had ruled the victim died from a gunshot wound.
Buckeye police have not yet released the victim's identity.
Court records show McAfee was previously convicted of committing aggravated assault in Pinal County.
The suspect is now facing charges of second-degree murder and assaulting a police officer.
