Milwaukee mother killed, son accused wanted virtual reality headset
MILWAUKEE - A 10-year-old Milwaukee boy is now charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide for allegedly fatally shooting his mother on Monday, Nov. 21. This, after she would not allow him to purchase a virtual reality headset online, the complaint says. FOX6 News is not naming the boy because of his age.
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police responded to a report of a shooting inside a residence near 87th and Hemlock on Monday, Nov. 21. Inside, they found a 44-year-old woman who suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
While at the scene, police spoke with a 10-year-old boy who stated he was awakened by the woman (the boy's mother) at 6 a.m. The boy "first told police that he went to her bedroom and retrieved his mother's gun. He went to the basement where she was grabbing some laundry. He originally described twirling the gun around on his finger and then it 'accidentally went off,'" the complaint says.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office noted the mother "died due to a handgun shot at her at close range."
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Due to age considerations, the complaint says the 10-year-old "was allowed to remain with family." However, the next day, family members contacted police with serious concerns. Police were told the 10-year-old "had 'rage issues' all of his life. He becomes very angry and acts out," the complaint says.
In a later interview with police, the 10-year-old boy "admitted that he was not twirling the gun around when he shot his mom," the complaint says. The 10-year-old went on to tell police he "admitted that his mother would not allow him to have something from Amazon that he wanted to have. (The 10-year-old) admitted that he retrieved the gun because he was mad at her for waking him up at 6 a.m.," the complaint says. The complaint goes on to say "he tried to shoot the wall to 'scare her,' whereupon he admitted that he shot her in the face." The boy "admitted to knowing that guns are dangerous and can kill people," the complaint says.
A person police spoke with indicated the boy logged onto his mother's Amazon account on Nov. 22 following her death, and ordered the virtual reality headset he wanted.
Police located a black semi-automatic 9mm Glock 43 handgun in the residence. Officials noted a fired cartridge was located at the bottom of the basement stairs.
The 10-year-old made his initial appearance in Milwaukee County court on Friday, Nov. 25 – the day the criminal complaint was filed. Cash bond was set at $50,000. The 10-year-old is expected to make his next court appearance at the Youth and Family Justice Center in Milwaukee on Dec. 7.
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In a news conference on Wednesday morning, Nov. 30, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson offered the following reaction to this case.
"Anytime there's violence that happens in Milwaukee whether it's committed by someone who's 10 years old or much older than that, that gives me pause. I don't want to see anybody hurt or lose their lives in the city," Johnson said.