72-year-old woman shoots son over video game noise: Police

Inset: Hazel Benson (Mesa Police Department). Background: The neighborhood where Hazel Benson lives in Mesa, Ariz. (KSAX/YouTube).

A 72-year-old woman in Arizona allegedly opened fire on her adult son during a blow-up over video game noise, blasting him in the stomach and sending him to the hospital after he got too loud while playing, according to police and prosecutors.

Hazel Benson, of Mesa, was arrested Saturday night after allegedly shooting her 38-year-old son during a wild domestic confrontation at her home near Higley Road and Main Street, according to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate KPNX.

The Mesa Police Department says it responded to the shooting at around 8:50 p.m. Saturday and found Benson’s son with non-life-threatening injuries. The victim was shot once in the stomach; Benson is facing aggravated assault charges, disorderly conduct and discharge of a firearm within city limits as a result.

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Benson allegedly told investigators that she fired the gun and then threw it into a canal afterward. She said the two had been fighting, with her son going for a walk to “calm down” before returning to find Benson blocking the door.

Benson allegedly shot her son as he lunged toward her with “his hands in fists,” according to KPNX. She allegedly told police she was not sure whether she fired once or multiple times, the station reports.

Authorities say officers were called to Benson’s home prior to her son’s shooting for another service call earlier in the night, during which Benson described being frustrated over the noise level, KPNX reports, citing Mesa Police.

Benson is facing aggravated assault charges, disorderly conduct and discharge of a firearm within city limits. Mesa is about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix.