DVM is shot by teen son in family dispute

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA. — Despite taking two bullets to the back, a local veterinarian argues the shooter — his 18-year-old son — had no intention to cause harm and should not be given jail time.

Jacob Leonard fired nine shots during a July family argument at their family's home, according to police and published reports. Jack Leonard, DVM, of Fox Run Equine Center in Apollo, was trying to drive away in his sport utility vehicle after a fight with his wife. Jacob Leonard told police he then fired a Glock 17 9-mm pistol from the front window of his parents' home, in an attempt to shoot out the vehicle's tires. He said he had been trying to protect his mother from assault.

The younger Leonard was charged in mid-November with attempted murder and aggravated assault, despite his father's wish to have the charges dropped. "If this goes to trial, I'm confident he'll be acquitted," Jack Leonard told WTAE in Pittsburgh. "There's no intention here... They're just legal wrangling without any real basis."