Son, 41, charged in McCandless dad's slaying

As his father pounded at his bedroom door in their McCandless home, Eric Huesmann loaded a rifle, sat on his bed and waited, police said.

The pair were arguing over Huesmann's refusal to take his medication, and his father was unscrewing the doorknob with a screwdriver. When his father opened the door and ran into the room, Huesmann fired the 8 mm Mauser, police said.

"It's my nature to defend myself," Huesmann, 41, told police during an interview Tuesday. "My adrenaline level was never that high before."

Emil "John" Huesmann, 63, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office.

County police charged the younger Huesmann with homicide. It was the county's first killing recorded in 2009.

Eric Huesmann has a history of mental problems and a history with guns, according to court records.

In June 2003, a judge ordered him to undergo psychological treatment after his arrest on two gun charges, court records show. Further details of the order and treatment were not available yesterday.

Five months later, Huesmann pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to keep a record of firearm sales. Common Pleas Judge Donna Jo McDaniel sentenced him to two years of probation. Prosecutors withdrew a felony charge of carrying a gun without a license.

Neighbors said the elder Huesmann was a friendly guy, who liked to hunt. Some thought his son was odd and kept to himself. The pair lived in the two-story house, tucked away on a side street and surrounded by pine trees, with their dog. Emil Huesmann was divorced in 2001, court records show.

"(Emil Huesmann) was a nice guy. He was friends with everybody," said neighbor Grace Smith, 72. "His son was the total opposite. He was always dressed like he rolled out of bed.

"When I saw the ambulance, my first thought was that John had a heart attack. His son was sitting on the stoop outside, having a cigarette. When the police came out of the house, he stood up, they put the handcuffs on him and took him. He was calm and cool, like he always was."

According to a police affidavit:

Eric Huesmann told police he locked himself in his bedroom Monday night after he and his father argued about his refusal to take medication. His father was demanding that Huesmann take the medication in front of him.

The next morning, Huesmann said his father woke him between 4 and 5 a.m. by pounding on the door. Huesmann told police he tried to be reasonable, but his father was "very loud and not making any sense."

Huesmann told police his father opened the door and ran toward him with the screwdriver. Huesmann said he fired the rifle once, striking his father in the chest.

Huesmann said he waited three hours, went to St. Alexis Church and then went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting before returning home, the affidavit said.

Once home, he went upstairs, found his father in the hallway and called 911, according to the affidavit.

Authorities arrived about 2:30 p.m.

Longtime neighbor Fran Pattonrick said Emil Huesmann "was quite a sportsman, a big-time hunter, big-time fisherman. He really loved the outdoors. John -- his name was Emil, but everyone knows him as John -- was a real nice guy. He always had a smile, always had a cigar."