A Vicksburg man and his son are dead, victims of an apparent homicide/suicide after a family argument at their home on Christmas day.

The home was destroyed by fire Christmas night.

Vicksburg police said James Jarrod Wassson, 39, and Jim Wasson, 9, were found in the driveway outside the home at 8 Briarwood Place Friday night. Both were dead from lacerations, deputy police chief Bobby Stewart said. He said their bodies were taken to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for autopsies.

Stewart said Wasson’s wife, who was not identified, and Wasson’s 7-year-old son, who was also not identified, escaped the fire. He said the woman was beaten during the domestic argument and taken to Merit Health River Region Medical Center, where she was treated and released. The boy was not injured.

He said the argument, the deaths, and the fire remain under investigation.

Stewart said police were called by 911 about a domestic disturbance at the house about 9 p.m. and officers arrived to find flames breaking through the roof of the house.

Fire Chief Charles Atkins said firefighters were asked by police to wait before fighting the fire until the scene had been secured. Atkins said the trucks waited on Hawkins Street at the entrance to Briarwood Place until they got the go-ahead from police.

“They said they didn’t know if there was a shooter in building or someplace else on the property,” Atkins said. “They even searched in the woods behind the house.”