A Wisconsin Father’s Day shooting has resulted in an attempted first-degree intentional homicide charge against a man who told police he fired at his father three times because he was ‘just disturbed or homicidal, I guess.’ The suspect, identified in court records as Zastrow, made his initial court appearance on 24 June 2026, according to FOX6 Now.
Zastrow is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide carrying a domestic abuse modifier, and is being held on a $500,000 cash bond, as reported by CBS 58.
The Wisconsin Father’s Day Shooting: What the Complaint Alleges
According to the criminal complaint, cited by WISN, Zastrow told a dispatcher he had been sitting on the front porch with his gun, trying to relax, when his father began arguing with him. The dispute escalated into a physical altercation: Zastrow’s girlfriend, who was present at the home, told police she heard a verbal argument about gun laws before Zastrow punched his father in the face. Zastrow also claimed his father shoved him during the confrontation before he opened fire.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, citing Waukesha County court records, that the argument had been triggered in part by the father attempting to take Zastrow’s guns away from him. The father had asked his son why he felt he needed to be armed. Zastrow’s response, as recorded in the complaint, was stark: ‘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.’
Zastrow was the one who called 911 to report the shooting. He told dispatchers he had fired at his father three times, striking him twice in the abdomen. He attempted to control his father’s bleeding while still on the call. The father was expected to survive, and told officers at the scene, ‘The kid is not right.’
Loaded Weapons Found Throughout the Property
Investigators searching the home found multiple loaded weapons in Zastrow’s bedroom and car, including an AR-15-style rifle. The volume and accessibility of the firearms formed part of the background to the dispute: according to the complaint and court records, the elder Zastrow had been trying to remove the guns from his son’s possession when the confrontation turned violent.
An investigator’s observation, noted by WISN, underlined the prosecution’s account of Zastrow’s state of mind on the day: the investigator stated that Zastrow ‘showed no remorse, no reaction to doing this to a person’ when officers spoke with him following the shooting.
When police asked Zastrow directly why he had shot his father, he offered no coherent justification. His reply, as recorded in the complaint: he was ‘just disturbed or homicidal, I guess.’
The charge and the domestic abuse modifier both carry significant sentencing implications under Wisconsin law. The People magazine report confirmed the attempted first-degree intentional homicide charge, which in Wisconsin carries a potential maximum of 60 years’ imprisonment before any penalty enhancers are considered. The domestic abuse modifier can affect both bail conditions and sentencing ranges at the court’s discretion.
Zastrow’s next court date, and any potential plea, will determine whether the case proceeds to trial in Waukesha County. Subject to any bail review, he remains in custody on the $500,000 cash bond.
