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A 10-year-old boy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been charged as an adult for fatally shooting his mother. As reported by AP News, the child intentionally aimed a gun at his mother, then shot and killed her, after she allegedly woke him up too early and refused to purchase him a virtual reality headset.
According to Journal Sentinel, the boy, whose identity is being held, initially told police that the shooting was an accident. However, relatives were dissatisfied with the child’s story. And he eventually admitted the truth to authorities.
The child’s family allegedly told authorities that he received an “unspecified” yet “concerning” mental health diagnosis from a therapist. They say he also had a history of dangerous behavior, which included setting living room furniture on fire and swinging a puppy by its tail.
The shooting occurred in the early morning of November 21, shortly before 7 a.m. The child told authorities that he took a gun from his mother’s bedroom and went down into the basement where she was doing laundry. He said he was twirling the gun in his fingers when it fired. The child then told his sister, who called the authorities.
Police allowed the child to stay with his family, and no initial arrests were made. A day later, relatives voiced their concerns.
According to the child’s aunt, he was knowingly in possession of keys that unlocked a box where the gun was stored. He also admitted that his mother reacted to the gun being pointed toward her prior to the shooting.
“Why do you have that? Put that down,” he recalled her saying.
According to his aunt and sister, the child never cried or showed remorse for his mother’s death. Instead, he allegedly logged into her Amazon account and ordered an Oculus Virtual Reality Headset, a day after the shooting.
The same day, he admitted to the crime, yet still lacked emotion.
I’m really sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for killing my mom.
The boy proceeded to ask if his Amazon package had arrived.
According to Journal Sentinel, the boy was charged in an adult court last week. His charges include first-degree reckless homicide and he is being held in the county’s juvenile detention facility. His bond has been set at $50,000 and a status hearing is scheduled for next week.
The boy’s attorney, Angela Cunningham, believes that the “adult system is absolutely ill-equipped to address the needs of a 10-year-old child.” And says the entire circumstance is “an absolute family tragedy.”
This is an absolute family tragedy. I don’t think anybody would deny or disagree with that.
According to REVOLT, a local Wisconsin news station has identified the victim as 44-year-old Quiana Mann.
