PECULIAR – Bernard Homer Putis, 72, told police he fatally shot his son, Bernard Homer Putis III, 41.
“I couldn’t take the beating anymore,” Putis reportedly said to two Peculiar police officers when they first arrived on the scene in April and asked what happened.
This was just one detail now publicly available after the probable cause statement became public record, when earlier this month, Cass County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Butler opted not to file charges in the case, a fact announced by the Peculiar Police Department in a Sept. 20 release.
Butler has not commented on the matter, and did supply the probable cause statement upon receiving a freedom of information request.
Pretty much the only details previously available were that the shooting took place at the elder Putis’ home in the 800 block of South Peculiar Drive on April 21 before 1 a.m., and the younger Putis later died from his wounds while at the hospital.
According to the probable cause statement, when officers arrived they found a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun on the ground near the house’s front steps with an expended shotgun shell on the ground nearby. The front door of the house was already open, and the officers saw “apparent blood droplets” through the closed glass storm door and immediately entered.
They found the elder Putis in the living room kneeling over the couch. Officers found a 22-caliber rifle on the floor near the entryway to the home. Officers also found the son on the kitchen floor bleeding out from his wounds.
Putis told officers he’d hit his head during a physical altercation with his son and he wanted to go to the hospital. Both Putis’ were taken to the hospital, where the younger was later pronounced dead and a detective interviewed the elder.
The probable cause statement reveals that Putis’ account of events conflicts with forensic evidence gathered at the scene. According to forensic evidence cited in the probable cause statement, the younger Putis was shot once from a distance, which caused wounds on his left side, left arm, left palm and severing part of his left middle finger which was found on the other side of the living room from the entryway with buckshot pellets all over the same area.
The shot also hit his cellphone which fragmented into hundreds of tiny pieces. He was also shot at a much closer range. He also had a “close contact wound” directly into the center of his torso.
Putis did not mention shooting his son a second time. He told police an argument between him and his son became violent and at some point his son retrieved the rifle from somewhere in the house, pointed it at him and threatened him. According to Putis, his son went outside at one point, at which time Putis went into his bedroom to get his shotgun.
Putis said that as he came out of the bedroom, his son came in the front door with the rifle in hand, yelling “I’m going to kill you.” That’s when Putis said he shot his son.
This detail was supported by the fact that blood droplets led from the entryway into the kitchen. Also, there were blood droplets around the kitchen island, which indicated the younger Putis had been bleeding and moving around the kitchen, where the majority of the blood was found, according to the probable cause statement.
Forensic evidence indicated someone shot the younger Putis a second time while he was on the floor in the kitchen. Shotgun pellets marred the hardwood floor, indicating the person shooting was aiming downward, also a second expended 12-gauge shotgun shell was found on the kitchen island consistent with someone firing from the edge of the kitchen.
While some of the details of the case don’t seem to fully add up, there is also relevant external information, including a history of reports against the younger Putis for mistreatment of his father, which when taken under consideration may have factored into the prosecutor’s decision not to file charges; however, Butler has not responded to questions on the matter.
Putis’ daughter, Victoria Perkins, said she didn’t feel comfortable sharing any further details into the matter, but that she is grateful to the police department and the prosecuting attorney.
“Thank you for the thorough investigation and to the community for continued support during this extremely difficult time in our lives,” she said.
