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Mom accused of shooting 20-year-old male she found under her 13-year-old daughter's bed — now mom is charged with murder
Kendra Scott. Image source: Shelby County (Tenn.) Sheriff's Office

Mom accused of shooting 20-year-old male she found under her 13-year-old daughter's bed — now mom is charged with murder

'I did what I had to do,' the mother reportedly told police.

Police in Memphis, Tennessee, said officers responded to a shooting in the 3000 block of Travis Road around 1:50 a.m. Thursday.

Officers at the scene saw a male suffering from a gunshot wound, and police said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

'Get out of my house, b***h.'

Kendra Scott, 36, was arrested at the scene and later charged with first-degree murder and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, police said.

But the New York Post said Scott found the 20-year-old male in question hiding under her 13-year-old daughter's bed.

The Post added that an arrest affidavit it obtained indicates Scott told police she came home and "saw a dude under" the bed — "and I did what I had to do."

The affidavit also said the gunshot wound was in the back of the male's head, the Post added, and that he was found outside the home.

More from the paper:

The deadly incident unfolded after Scott’s teen daughter told cops she invited the man, Rodderius Morton, to the family’s home at around 1 a.m., according to the court document and Scott’s lawyer.

An enraged Scott started pounding on the front door and bellowing, “Who’s at my house?!” when she arrived home around 30 minutes later, the affidavit states.

Her unidentified daughter grew terrified when she noticed her mom was allegedly holding a gun.

Scott had said that if she “sees a boy in my house I will put a hole in his ass,” the daughter later told cops, according to the affidavit.

The Post, citing the court document, reported that the teen soon let her mother inside, where Scott allegedly found Morton hiding under the bed. It isn't clear why Scott had to be let inside her own house.

"Get out of my house, bitch," Scott allegedly screamed, the paper said, adding that Scott followed Morton out the front door.

Then Scott's daughter and a neighbor allegedly heard a gunshot, the Post said.

The paper, citing the affidavit, reported that the neighbor later told police he came outside and saw Scott still holding the gun and standing by the man's body while admitting, "I shot him, I shot him."

Officers recovered one spent shell casing on the front porch as well as a Smith & Wesson black handgun, the Post reported, citing the document.

"This incident started with the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl," Scott's lawyer, Blake Ballin, told the paper, adding that "predictably, it ended in tragedy. One of the key questions in this case will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance."

RELATED: 19-year-old thug who shot a dad defending his daughter from bullies is sentenced

Retired law enforcement officer and firearm self-defense trainer Buddy Smith told WMC-TV that what's known so far about the shooting would not qualify under Tennessee's Castle Doctrine.

"Which means you're allowed to protect the people in your residence when someone breaks in to commit a violent felony against you or someone in your house," Smith told the station, adding that "the affidavit does not allege that he threatened the mother or anyone else at that time, and those alleged facts will likely be important issues for the court, and ultimately a jury."

Gloria Milon, an area resident, told WMC she sympathizes with Scott: "She seemed like a real nice lady. All I can say is, that hurts that someone was in there with one of her little girls."

Another neighbor who asked not to be identified told the station that Scott should have called police instead: "If it would've been me in that situation, and I had seen her on that doorbell camera, I would've called the police and had them sitting at my house when I got there. Therefore, you take him out, take him on to jail."

A judge on Monday set Scott's bond at $100,000; her next court date is scheduled for Aug. 3, WMC reported in a separate story. Jail records indicate Scott remained behind bars Tuesday.

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Dave Urbanski

Dave Urbanski

Sr. Editor, News

Dave Urbanski is a senior editor for Blaze News.
@DaveVUrbanski →