LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska prosecutor says a man who fatally shot his 44-year-old son did so in self-defense.

Keith County Attorney Randy Fair has declined to prosecute Wesley Holland. Fair says Wesley Holland shot Steven Holland to protect himself and Steven’s mother, Marie Holland. The shooting occurred Jan. 19 at the Holland home near Lemoyne.

Fair says Steven Holland had assaulted his mother and threatened to kill her, his father and others.

Fair says Wesley Holland grabbed a rifle and shot his son as the younger man was standing in their basement, brandishing a large knife.