A 10-year-old child upset by a VR headset fatally shoots his mother; billed as an adult

MILWAUKEE — A 10-year-old boy who fatally shot his 44-year-old mother last week in Milwaukee is charged with first-degree adult homicide.

According to a criminal complaint, the boy was angry at his mother for waking him up early and not letting him have something on Amazon.

RELATED: 10-year-old shoots, kills woman near 87th and Hemlock

The fatal shooting took place near 87th and Hemlock around 7 a.m. on Monday, November 21. Police initially reported that the boy was playing with the gun when it discharged, hitting his mother. The woman, identified as Quiana Mann, was shot in the head and died of her injuries.

According to the criminal complaint, when the boy was first questioned, he said he twirled the gun around his finger and “accidentally exploded”. After killing his mother, the boy woke up his sister who then found their mother dead and called 911.

Due to his age, the boy was allowed to stay with his family. However, the next day the family contacted the Milwaukee Police Department with “serious concerns”.

The complaint says the boy’s 26-year-old sister told detectives he had had ‘rage issues’ all his life and ‘five different imaginary people talking to him’.

A therapist had previously given the boy a “worrying diagnosis” and the mother had placed cameras inside the house to monitor him, according to the complaint. Two weeks before the woman’s murder, “someone had unplugged these cameras”.

The sister also told detectives she learned that the day after their mother died, the boy logged into their mother’s Amazon account and ordered an Oculus virtual reality headset.

The complaint says a family member also alleged that the boy grabbed his pup by the tail and “twirled him around until he whined and howled in pain.” It happened when the boy was allegedly four years old.

An aunt told detectives the boy never cried or showed remorse after his mother’s death. The complaint alleges the 10-year-old told his aunt he was “actually pointing the gun at his mother.” The day after his mother died, the aunt said he apologized for killing his mother, then asked if his Amazon package had arrived.

In a second interview with detectives, the boy reportedly admitted to retrieving the gun because he resented him for waking him up early and not letting him get something from Amazon. He told detectives that his mother was walking ahead of him when he tried to shoot at the wall to “scare her”. The complaint also says he admitted to getting his mother’s keys to the gun safe the night before.

The 10-year-old has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide. If found guilty, he faces a maximum of 60 years in prison.

He had his first court appearance on Friday and $50,000 cash bond was set. He will appear in court for a status hearing on December 7.

TMJ4 News is choosing not to name the suspect at this time due to his age.

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