What happened when Ghost’s father “lost it” (5)?

Ghost’s father had taken to drinking regularly, and drink made him fight with his wife, Ghost’s mother. The night he lost it, Ghost remembers his mother pulling him out of bed, saying “we gotta go” (5). As they ran out of the house, Ghost’s father cocked a gun and fired at them. Ghost and his mother ran to Mr. Charles’ store, and called the police.