MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Police said Thursday they have evidence to prove a Carlton man shot his father to death.

Blake Sitton, 24, appeared in Yamhill County Court via video conference from jail on charges of murdering his 50-year-old father, Rodney.

According to court documents released Thursday, Blake called 9-1-1 and said his father had been shot while cleaning a rifle, but investigators said a bullet and an empty shell casing found in Blake’s bedroom proved it couldn’t have been self-inflicted.

Rodney Sitton was the chairman of the Yamhill-Carlton School Board and well-respected in his neighborhood and by coworkers.

 “Very painful to watch and see this happening to a good family,” said Julie Bush who has lived across the street from the Sittons for 20 years. She said she didn’t hear the shot that killed her longtime friend.

“He’s a very good friend,” said Bush. “And everybody that knows him knows this and is going to miss him very much.”

Yamhill-Carlton School Superintendent Steve Chiovaro, who had worked alongside Rodney for years, said Wednesday “he was a very strong family man. He loved his family. I don’t know how you ever fully replace a person like that.”

Family and friends for both men were inside the courtroom Thursday but declined to talk about what happened.

Blake Sitton is being held on a $2.1 million bond and is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 29.

He has been convicted of assault charges, and has been accused of choking another inmate while inside the Yamhill County Jail. He was on probation for the assault conviction when authorities said he turned on his father.