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Ten-Year Old Allegedly Shoots Mom Over Virtual Reality Headset

[Shutterstock leungchopan]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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A 10-year-old Milwaukee boy shot and killed his mother Nov. 21 after she refused to buy him a virtual headset, prosecutors allege.

Around 7:00 a.m. in the city’s northwest side, the unidentified juvenile pointed the gun at his 44-year-old mother, who allegedly refused to buy him a virtual reality headset, according to the Journal Sentinel, which obtained a copy of the criminal complaint.

The child first told police it was an accident, claiming he got the gun from his mother’s bedroom and then went to hang out with his mom where she was doing laundry. The child said he was twirling the gun on his finger when it accidentally fired. The boy then informed his 26-year-old sister who called authorities.

But the story changed when the boy’s aunt went to pick him up. (RELATED: Woman Found Decapitated Inside Philadelphia Home, Police Say)

The unidentified aunt asked the child where the house keys were, and the boy told the aunt he hid the keys from his mother, the outlet reported. The set contained the key that opened the safety box where the gun was kept, according to the report. The aunt pressed him on the incident, and he confessed he pointed the gun at his mom.

“Why do you have that?” the boy’s mother reportedly asked. “Put that down.”

The boy then told his aunt he was “sorry” for fatally shooting his mother.

“I’m really sorry for what happened,” the boy reportedly said, without a hint of emotion. “I’m sorry for killing my mom.

Following his mothers death, the boy used her Amazon account to buy an Oculus Virtual Reality Headset, according to the Journal Sentinel.

Hands of a man holding a virtual reality headset [Shutterstock Ground Picture]

Hands of a man holding a virtual reality headset [Shutterstock Ground Picture]

The boy was charged in adult court with first-degree reckless homicide and is currently being held in the county’s juvenile detention facility, according to the report.

The child had a history of concerning behavior, including swinging the family’s puppy by the tail while it cried in pain, according to the report. The boy also recently set the family’s bathroom on fire.