Ayalis Clay Oliver, 76, Accused of Shooting Son, Keith Oliver, to Death During Thanksgiving Gathering Over Chores

Ayalis Clay Oliver, 76, has been arrested and charged with shooting his 49 year old son, Keith Oliver, to death in an argument over chores during a Thanksgiving Day gathering at his home in Security, Co. Oliver is being held without bond in the El Paso County jail. Deputies arrested him on suspicion of first-degree murder at his home where the shooting occurred. According to the arrest affidavit by Detective Ralph Losasso, the father and son had been arguing for most of the day Thursday about the son not doing chores. It is unknown what chores they were arguing about. Marjorie Oliver, the mother of the deceased, asked her son to leave the home at some point on Thursday and he refused to do so, Losasso stated. The detective stated that father then went to an upstairs bedroom, retrieved a .357-caliber revolver from the nightstand drawer and confronted his son in the garage.

At about 3:25 p.m. Thursday, deputies were called to the home where they found Keith Oliver of Denver dead with a gunshot wound to the head, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene said Friday. Ayalis Oliver told detectives that he exchanged about “five words” with his son before shooting him once. The father told detectives he was “pissed” when he went for his gun.

He confirmed that his son’s final words – overheard by the mother – was that he was trying to stand up like a man and for that his father was going to shoot him. A detective said Oliver did not remember saying anything to his son before firing the shot. After shooting his son, the father told investigators, he sat down on the steps, still holding the gun until his wife asked him to put the weapon down. When deputies arrested Oliver, he was breathing heavily. Oliver said he was OK, but that he had harmed his son. Source: The Gazette

I won't condone what this man did to his son, but it seems unconscionable that he is paying the rent and making car payments for his adult twin sons, one of whom was the shooting victim. The man was probably just tired of being pushed around by his son and he just snapped. Oliver made an initial court appearance on Friday before El Paso County Judge Jonathan Walker, who set the next court date for December 2.

Read more about this case in The Gazette.