Authorities in North Carolina say a Thanksgiving Day altercation between two adult brothers turned violent when their father intervened with a gun.

According to ABC News, 21-year-old Esteban Marley Valencia had been engaged in a heated argument with his brother over the controversy surrounding NFL player protests.

Police believe their father got his shotgun and fired at Valencia, hitting him in his leg and hand. Police and emergency personnel responded to the residence in Cary and spoke to 51-year-old Jorge Luis Valencia-Lamadrid about the incident.

He reportedly told responding officers that his sons had argued about social issues including racial injustice when Valencia became violent.

As People reported, police did not reveal which side of the cultural debate either brother supported. It was similarly unclear which position, if any, their father took on the issue.

Valencia became increasingly erratic, his father claimed, and began throwing furniture. At one point the younger man allegedly hit his father with a water bottle.

According to Valencia-Lamadrid, his son had been drinking throughout the day and had sparked other arguments with relatives during the holiday gathering.

The argument that led to the shooting allegedly began shortly after the family sat down for dinner.

The suspect retrieved a pistol-grip shotgun and fired at the victim in an effort to stop the assault, investigators say.

Reports indicate Valencia was transported from the scene to an area hospital where he received treatment for his injuries.

As of the latest reports available, Valencia-Lamadrid had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault.

[Featured image: Jorge Luis Valencia-Lamadrid, Raleigh Wake City-County Bureau of Identification]