Mother Shoots Man Hiding Under Daughter's Bed... Debate Erupts in U.S. Over Her Response

Claims Emerge That Victim Had Intellectual Disability
Neighbors Divided Over Whether Shooting Was Self-Defense

An incident occurred in Tennessee, United States, where a woman discovered a man in his twenties hiding under her daughter's bed and shot him dead. However, controversy is mounting over whether her actions were in self-defense, amid claims that the man had an intellectual disability.

According to reports from U.S. media outlets such as the New York Post and Fox News on July 22 (local time), Memphis police in Tennessee arrested Kendra Scott, aged 36, in the early morning of July 16. Scott is accused of fatally shooting Roderius Morton, a 20-year-old man. At her initial court hearing held on July 20, Scott was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder, and her bail was set at 100,000 dollars (approximately 147 million won).

Scott told police, “I returned home at about 1:30 a.m. and found a man hiding under my daughter’s bed,” adding, “I only did what I had to do as a parent.”

The house where a 20-year-old man was shot by the mother of a 13-year-old daughter. Action News 5 Capture

Blake Ballin, Scott’s attorney, stated, “For any parent with a 13-year-old daughter, this would be an unimaginable nightmare,” emphasizing that “the fundamental issue in this case is whether anyone could have acted rationally under such circumstances.”

However, as claims emerged that Morton, the man shot and killed by Scott, had an intellectual disability, the case has taken a new turn. Robin Perkins, who identified herself as Morton’s special education teacher in middle school, said in an interview with local broadcaster WREG News in Memphis, “It is unreasonable to expect someone whose cognitive level is below that of a typical 20-year-old to have sound judgment.” She argued, “There were other ways to respond—such as reporting to the police or subduing him with a gun and waiting for police to arrive.”

Police records indicate that Scott’s daughter had invited Morton to the house at around 1:00 a.m. on the day of the incident. Thirty minutes later, Scott arrived home, knocked on the front door, and shouted, “Who is in our house?”

She then found Morton hiding under her daughter’s bed. Scott screamed and chased Morton out through the front door, where a gunshot was fired. A neighbor, who came outside upon hearing the gunfire, testified that Scott was seen standing next to Morton’s body holding a gun. It was also reported that Scott admitted to firing the weapon.

Scott’s response has divided local residents. Gloria Millen, a neighbor, said, “It breaks my heart that there was a strange man inside a house with a young daughter,” adding, “Scott has always been a truly good neighbor.” Another resident pointed out, “The police should have been called right away and the perpetrator caught so he could have been punished.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.