By KELLEY RADUNICH
kelley@du2.byu.edu
Following a 45-minute standoff with Orem police, an Orem man was arrested and charged with attempted homicide Sunday after shooting at his son.
The 17-year-old son was not injured in the shooting attempt.
Charles Camara, 43, used a .32 caliber handgun to fire a single shot at his son following an argument, said Lt. Ned Jackson of the Orem police.
'The suspect claims he fired the gun into the air, but the boy said it was aimed directly at him,' Jackson said.
The father and son were initially arguing inside their home at 1381 N. 80 West in Orem, Jackson said. During the discussion Camara accused his son of using drugs. The argument escalated into pushing and shoving, and the two went outside onto the front porch, Jackson said.
Jackson said the son picked up a rock, threw it at the windshield of his father's Buick in the driveway and started walking to a neighbor's home.
'As he was walking to a neighbor's house, the boy turned around to see his father shoot the gun at him,' Jackson said.
Neighbors contacted police at approximately 1:30 p.m. after hearing the gunshot. Seven officers reported to the home and set up a perimeter around the house with patrol cars when Camara refused to come out of the home.
'We had a dispatcher call inside to talk to him and tell him to come out. He came out once, but then went back inside,' Jackson said.
An officer began talking with Camara through a window of the house and eventually convinced Camara to let him come inside and talk. At that point, the other officers were able to go inside and make the arrest, Jackson said.
Camara was held in Utah County Jail Sunday night but released Monday after appearing before the District Court.
Utah County law enforcement has seen a large increase in the number of standoff and hostage situations reported recently, said Utah County Sheriff David Bateman.
'It used to be pretty rare, but I'm seeing our special response team involved in more and more of these domestic issues,' Bateman said.
Bateman said the increase in standoffs can be attributed to heightened community awareness of domestic violence.
'There's been a concerted effort on the part of advocacy groups to get laws in place that identify what's appropriate domestic behavior and what's not,' he said. 'The education of the community on domestic violence issues has made a difference.'
Bateman also said quicker notification of domestic issues increases the chance of a standoff.
'Law enforcement is arriving on the scene much sooner, and as a result you get a standoff or a hostage situation. The guy is usually intoxicated, and one of the avenues he'll take to avoid arrest is to barricade himself,' he said.
Sgt. Dennis Howard of the Utah County Sheriff's Office said in most standoff situations, a surrender procedure is used.
'If he poses no threat to others, we're going to talk him out. We let him solve all his own problems in the situation. The guy knows exactly what's going on,' he said.
Howard said shifts in the seasons and economic events play a role in most standoff situations.
'We see a lot towards the holidays and when there's a downturn in the economy,' he said.
Jackson said Orem police have responded to complaints of domestic disputes concerning the Camara family before.