A man duct-taped his 13-year-old son to a chair and then shot himself to death in a bathroom before police arrived at the home, officials said.
The boy, whose identity has not been released, was rescued by police who saw him tied to the chair through a basement window Wednesday evening, said Sgt. Bobby Ryan of the Colorado Springs Police Department.
The boy’s father had a restraining order against him after he and his wife separated. He entered the home, taped his son’s feet to the chair, put tape over his mouth and tied his hands with plastic flex tape, Ryan said.
When the man went upstairs, his son tore the tape off of his mouth and called his mother with his cellphone, Ryan said. The mother called police at 4:46 p.m.
The father returned to the basement, taped his son’s mouth again and went into the basement bathroom, where he shot himself to death.
The boy was not physically harmed, Ryan said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
