An alarming report out of Milwaukee indicates that a 10-year-old boy with “rage issues” recently murdered his own mother because she had refused to purchase an Amazon item for him.
At around 7 a.m. on November 21, 44-year-old Quiana Mann was allegedly gunned down in her own basement while she was doing laundry. When police questioned Mann’s 10-year-old son, he claimed he had “accidentally” shot her while he was twirling her gun. He then claimed he awakened his 26-year-old sister to tell her about the shooting. The sister then contacted police, who initially ruled Mann’s death an accident and allowed the boy to remain with family that night because of his age.
However, the following day, relatives contacted police to cast doubt on the boy’s story and to report that he had since allegedly attacked a 7-year-old cousin while staying in his aunt’s home.
The background information that relatives gave police is nothing short of alarming. His sister indicated that the boy has “rage issues” and that he had recently gone into therapy, where he received “a concerning diagnosis.” The diagnosis, which has not been disclosed, prompted Mann to install cameras throughout her home, but those cameras were unplugged about two weeks before the shooting, the criminal complaint states.
Relatives also claimed that the boy began evincing disturbing tendencies at a very young age. At age 4, they say he swung a puppy by its tail until it yelped in pain and that his mother then got rid of the dog because she feared it would eventually retaliate against the boy for his behavior, which eventually became so terrifying to family members that they refused to babysit him.
Relatives also alleged that six months ago, the boy poured flammable liquid into a balloon and set it on fire in the living room, causing some damage to the carpet and furniture.
In the past, the boy has also reported hearing voices from imaginary people, including two sisters, one older woman, and two men, one of whom the boy described as “mean.”
His aunt and sister stated that he never cried or expressed remorse about the shooting, even as he said, “I’m really sorry for what happened. I’m sorry for killing my mom.”
The reports from family convinced police to conduct another interview with the boy. During the second interview, the boy supposedly admitted that, on the morning of the shooting, he was angry with his mother for waking him up a half-hour early and for refusing to buy him an Oculus Virtual Reality headset on Amazon. So, he stole the key to her gun lock, took her semi-automatic Glock 43 from the safe, and then “went to the basement and took up a shooting stance,” the complaint claims.
He then allegedly stated that he aimed for the wall to “scare her.” At that point, Mann looked at him and said, “Why do you have that? Put that down.” He then supposedly shot her in the face from about three feet away.
He reportedly confirmed to police that he knew “that guns can kill people.” He also reportedly logged onto his mother’s Amazon account the day after the shooting and ordered the Oculus headset he wanted.
The boy has been arrested and charged with first-degree reckless homicide. By Wisconsin law, the boy is currently being treated as an adult, though his attorney, Angela Cunningham, is trying to have his case processed through the juvenile system.
“The adult system is absolutely ill-equipped to address the needs of a 10-year-old child,” she said.
The boy currently remains in custody at Vel R. Phillips Youth and Family Justice Center in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. His name has not been disclosed because of his age. Children’s Court Judge Marshall B. Murray set the boy’s bail at $50,000. He has a hearing scheduled next week.
“This is an absolute family tragedy. I don’t think anybody would deny or disagree with that,” Cunningham stated.