18-year-old charged in shooting of father
A Westmoreland County teenager was charged Wednesday with shooting his father, a well-known veterinarian, during a domestic dispute in July.
But Jacob Edward Leonard's attorney, Robert Stewart, said Leonard was trying to protect his mother from "what looked to be a life-threatening situation" at their home in Washington Township.
Leonard, 18, was arraigned yesterday afternoon on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
Washington Township District Judge Lawrence Franzi released Leonard on $25,000 unsecured bond, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled Nov. 16.
Leonard is accused of shooting his father, Dr. John Mark Leonard, 54, who runs Fox Run Equine Center, just off Route 66.
The charges were filed by Washington Township police Sgt. David Shero and Westmoreland County Detective Terry Kuhns.
Shero responded to the initial call of a shooting on July 28 at the Leonard home, near the equine center.
Shero found John Leonard in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban with his wife, Kathy, and Jacob standing next to him. Blood was coming from his lower chest, and he told Shero that his son shot him in the back near his spine.
Kathy Leonard also identified her son as the shooter.
Jacob Leonard told Kuhns that his mother and father were arguing in the driveway. At one point, John Leonard began driving away in the Suburban while Kathy Leonard was trying to enter the front passenger side, Jacob Leonard said.
He told Kuhns he felt his mother was falling from the vehicle. Fearing for her safety, Jacob Leonard said he fired seven or eight rounds from a Glock 9 mm handgun into the vehicle from a second-story window that faces the driveway.
Westmoreland County Assistant District Attorney Chuck Washburn declined to comment on the charges after the arraignment.
Stewart said he has hopes that a resolution can be reached with prosecutors.
"This is a trying situation that involves a father as a victim and a son who is 18 but is really only a high schooler," Stewart said.
Jacob Leonard is a home-schooled student who is finishing his high school classes, Stewart said.
Dr. Leonard is recovering at home from his injuries. His wife and son are living elsewhere since Jacob Leonard is allowed no contact with his father under the conditions of his bond, Stewart said.
A woman who answered the phone at the Fox Run Equine Center said employees were not permitted to comment about the shooting or Dr. Leonard's condition.
