Police arrest man accused of killing his father

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Detectives arrested a man for allegedly shooting and killing his father at a home Tuesday evening in northeast Albuquerque.

Christopher Kirby, 38, is accused of shooting and killing his 72-year-old father at a home on the 5000 block of Larchmont Drive, near Tramway and Montgomery. Officers responded there to reports of a shooting at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday and found the father dead at the home.

Family members allegedly told police that Kirby suffered from a mental illness. They said he became “increasingly angry and delusional.”

On the night of the shooting, his father stopped by the home to talk to Kirby. Kirby saw him and allegedly pointed pepper spray at his father, telling him to put his hands up. The father asked him if he had a gun and said he just wanted to talk. Then, Kirby pulled out a gun and fired several shots.

Those shots struck Kirby’s father, killing him.

Kirby’s mother ran to a neighbor’s home for safety. Kirby allegedly drove away and called 911 to report he shot his parents and that one of them was possibly dead. He also allegedly told dispatch where he was and officers came and took him into custody.

Kirby faces charges of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. He is in the Metro Detention Center.