VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A father has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for killing his son outside of Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk.
A judge sentenced 60-year-old Earl Boone Sr. was sentenced on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm. Boone Sr. had previously pleaded guilty to these charges on Apr. 5.
These charges stem from an incident on October 28, 2019, in the parking lot of Sentara Obici Hospital. Officials say a member of the Boone family had passed away unexpectedly which brought multiple members of the family to the hospital. As Boone Sr. was exiting the hospital, his son Earl Boone Jr. was walking through the parking lot.
According to officials, surveillance footage shows the father and son had an encounter that resulted in Boone Sr. walking to his car to get his gun and firing at his son while he was walking away.
Boone Sr. then continued firing at his son until he fell to the ground. Boone Jr. died in the hospital shortly after the incident.
Officials say Boone Sr. turned himself in shortly after the incident occurred. He told police that his son was violent and that he had fired him from his job for fighting and thought his son would beat him up.
He continued by saying that he “snapped” and that he “wasn’t really thinking, I was just shooting and that was it.”
