Pennsylvania man charged with shooting and killing his father

A man is charged with shooting and killing his father at a home in Cook Township on Saturday, authorities said. 

The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said state police found 59-year-old Edward Lawrence Jr. dead after they were called to a home on the rural street of Lawrence Lane, off Noel Road by Bethel Church, for a reported shooting. According to court records, that's where 28-year-old Cody Lawrence lived with his dad, mom and brother. 

Police said Edward Lawrence's wife told troopers that her son, 28-year-old Cody Lawrence, intervened in an ongoing argument between her and her husband and shot him. 

She told troopers that she and her husband had been bickering throughout the day, and after an argument later on, she heard a loud noise and saw her son and husband emerge from the front door, with her husband saying he'd been shot. 

Police said Cody Lawrence told them that he saw his father reaching for a gun in his waistband, and the two of them fought over it before it went off. Cody Lawrence also said a pocketknife fell out of his sweatshirt during the struggle, so his father may have been stabbed. 

In an interview with Cody Lawrence's brother, police said he told them Cody Lawrence and his dad got in a physical fight and that his dad told him he was shot.

After searching the property, police said troopers found a pistol hidden near the front entrance and a folding knife nearby.  

According to police, Edward Lawrence had a gunshot wound and two stab wounds to his back. 

Throughout the investigation, police said, "there was never a plausible explanation of self defense provided which could reasonably support the justification of force in this incident." They added that "the physical evidence was also inconsistent with self defense or the exigent defense of another."

Cody Lawrence was charged with homicide and denied bail, the district attorney's office said.