Investigators say Lance Shaner returned to the family home after the casino visit and called 911 before dying by suicide.
SEMAN, AL — An Elmore County man shot and killed his 81-year-old father, went to a casino and later returned home before dying by suicide the next morning, according to Sheriff Bill Franklin and investigators.
Authorities are investigating the deaths of Bill Shaner, 81, and his son, Lance Shaner, 27, as an apparent murder-suicide at their home on Tower Hill Road in the Seman community. Investigators believe Bill Shaner was killed between about 9 and 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Deputies arrived at the home around 6:30 a.m. Friday after Lance Shaner called 911 and said he had killed his father, authorities said.
Franklin said investigators learned that Lance Shaner went to a casino after the shooting and later returned to the residence. Subsequent reports identified the casino as Wind Creek Wetumpka. Authorities have not publicly explained why he went there or what he did during the visit, and investigators have not announced a confirmed motive for his father’s killing.
According to investigators, Lance Shaner spoke with a 911 dispatcher early Friday and acknowledged killing his father while also talking about suicide. Dispatchers tried to keep him on the phone, Franklin said, but contact ended before deputies reached the property. Investigators believe he died by suicide shortly afterward.
Deputies found Bill Shaner dead in a laundry and storage area toward the back of the home. Investigators said he had been shot at least twice, including in the torso, and died from blood loss. Authorities said he had apparently remained alive for some period after being wounded. No call for medical help was made for him immediately after the shooting, according to the sheriff’s account.
Investigators said they believe the same handgun was involved in both deaths. Both bodies were sent for forensic examination as authorities worked to confirm the circumstances and sequence of events. Officials have not announced evidence showing that anyone else was involved.
Franklin said investigators had been told that the father and son were arguing in the days before the shooting about things Lance Shaner wanted and places he wanted to go. The sheriff did not describe those disagreements as an established motive, and authorities have not released additional evidence explaining what led to the shooting.
Bill Shaner was a lifelong resident of the Seman community, south of Equality, according to investigators. Franklin described the killing as particularly difficult for people who knew him and for the emergency personnel who handled the 911 call. The sheriff also said his office deals with hundreds of domestic violence arrests in a typical year.
The investigation remains centered on what authorities describe as an apparent murder-suicide. Investigators have established a preliminary timeline but have not announced a definitive motive for the killing or explained the reason for Lance Shaner’s casino visit.
Author note: Last updated November 12, 2026.