Nevada Man Shoots Son for Being Gay: 'He Would Rather Have a Dead Son Than a Gay Son'

Last week, a 14-year-old child in Henderson, Nevada, was shot and killed by his father because he was gay. Giovanni Melton had been in an argument with his father, 53-year-old Wendell Melton, that involved his sexuality when Wendell took out a gun and shot him in an apartment that family members say Giovanni often stayed at by himself.

It wasn't the first time that Giovanni had been threatened by his father. Besides being abused "physically and mentally and spiritually for many, many years," according to is former foster mother, Sonja Jones, "[Wendell] had hated the fact that his son was gay. I'm sure that inside of his mind, he would rather have a dead son than a gay son." She also added that she'd heard he pulled a gun on his son before when he caught him with his boyfriend.

Wendell has been charged by the Henderson police department with open murder, child abuse, and other charges. Friends and family remember Giovanni as an energetic teen who brought smiles to everyone he met.