Footage from court on June 24 shows Connor Zastrow appearing before a judge (WITI).
In a troubling incident in Wisconsin, a 25-year-old man is charged with shooting his father during an altercation that turned violent over the Father’s Day weekend. Authorities have classified Connor Zastrow as a significant danger to society following the incident.
The dramatic events unfolded when Zastrow, accused of attempted first-degree intentional homicide with a domestic abuse enhancement, was allegedly confronted by his father while carrying a gun on the porch of their Delafield home. As reported by WISN, a criminal complaint details that this encounter, which took place on Father’s Day, quickly escalated when Zastrow’s father questioned the necessity of his son possessing a firearm.
The case saw further developments when Zastrow made his initial court appearance on Wednesday. Among the new revelations were threats Zastrow allegedly made towards a police officer, shedding more light on the severity of the situation.
Zastrow’s girlfriend, present in the home during the conflict, informed the police about the heated exchange. She recounted the argument centering around “gun laws,” which eventually led to physical violence when Zastrow allegedly struck his father. It was moments after this altercation that she reported hearing the gunshots that followed.
Zastrow was the one who called 911 to report that he shot at his father three times, hitting him twice in the abdomen. WISN reported that Zastrow tried to control his father’s bleeding while on the phone with dispatchers. The father was expected to survive. Police said the older man told them, “The kid is not right,” referring to his son.
Police said in the complaint that Zastrow’s father had asked his son why he felt he needed a gun. Zastrow allegedly replied, “If I had to use it for anybody, that officer that gave me the OWI, if he tries to do that or anything again, I would use it on him.”
Investigators searched the home and found more loaded weapons in Zastrow’s bedroom and car, including an AR-15-style rifle.
When police asked Zastrow why he allegedly shot his father, he reportedly said he was “just disturbed or homicidal, I guess.”
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Court Commissioner Christopher Bailey set Zastrow’s bond at $500,000, saying, “The danger he presents to the community is very significant, and his complete lack of emotion, given what is alleged here, is even more troubling in some ways.”
Bailey noted, “He seemed bothered by this person trying to take his gun away. I can only imagine what he would do to someone he didn’t have a relationship with.”
Zastrow is currently in custody at the Waukesha County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for July 1.