As cautionary tales go, the ordeal a Memphis mother faces after shooting an adult suspect she allegedly found under her young daughter’s bed should be a warning for every law-abiding gun owner.
According to the New York Post, Kendra Scott returned home on Thursday at about 1:30 a.m. and discovered what her attorney, Blake Ballin, told the outlet was “the worst nightmare of any parent of a 13-year-old girl.” That nightmare allegedly turned out to be 20-year-old Rodderius Morton.
Scott now faces a first-degree murder charge.
Mother reportedly finds adult stranger under daughter’s bed
What unfolded next was tragic on many fronts.
The teen daughter admitted to inviting the man to the house, and authorities believe he arrived about 30 minutes before the girl’s mother. Another juvenile present in the residence told officers that the adult male came in through the back door.
According to the affidavit, Scott realized someone was there who shouldn’t be and struck the locked front door while asking, “Who’s in my house?”
Timing of fatal shot will ultimately decide mother’s fate
The mother reportedly exclaimed that if she caught a male inside, “I will put a hole in his *ss.” Hardly an unexpected response, as many parents of minor children share the same sentiment.
The teenage daughter finally let her mother enter, and Scott quickly found the suspect hiding under the girl’s bed. At that point, she allegedly yelled: “Get out of my house, b*tch!”
So far, there’s nothing to hint that the Tennessee gun owner would soon face extremely serious charges. But witnesses reported that the confrontation escalated quickly from there.
Officials believe Morton complied with the demand and walked out of the front door and onto the porch. That’s when the second juvenile and a neighbor reported hearing a single shot.
The neighbor told investigators that he exited his house and found Scott standing near the stranger’s body holding a Smith & Wesson handgun. She reportedly said, “I shot him, I shot him.”
According to officers who responded to the call, Scott admitted that she “saw a dude under my kid’s bed…and I did what I had to do.” Morton died on the scene after allegedly being struck by the round on the back of his head.
The back.
Scott initially said that she shot a home invader, and that is certainly debatable since the underage daughter allegedly invited the man. Many argued that the girl was obviously too young to consent to anything of that nature, meaning Tennessee’s Castle Doctrine should protect the parent.
But the juvenile witness unraveled the first account of the fatal encounter, and officers soon learned about the invitation reportedly given while the mother was away.
Scott is currently being held in the Shelby County jail with no bond. Officials threw the book at her for the shooting, and she is charged with first-degree murder and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Her attorney told the Post that the explosive encounter “ended in tragedy. One of the key questions will be whether anyone could act rationally in this circumstance.”
Action News 5 interviewed retired law enforcement officer and self-defense expert Buddy Smith about whether the state’s Castle Doctrine will rescue Scott.
He explained that citizens are “allowed to protect the people in your residence when someone breaks in to commit a violent felony against you or someone in your house.” However, witness accounts did not confirm that the deceased threatened Scott.
“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,” Smith noted.
The Memphis station interviewed two neighbors who expressed markedly differing opinions on the violent confrontation. One explained that the shock of finding an adult male in the 13-year-old girl’s bedroom led to the shooting, which is certainly arguable.
Another resident, however, insisted that Scott should have held the man at gunpoint and waited for police to arrive.
The truth is, if she were going to shoot the man allegedly invited inside by her daughter, the bedroom would’ve been a much better location. If the facts hold that Scott followed Morton out of the front door and shot him in the back of the head, the mother is in a world of trouble.
It is critically important under Tennessee’s Castle Doctrine for the defender to be experiencing a threat that could result in death or serious bodily injury.
There’s no better way to show your patriotism than with merch that speaks before you do.
Defend America is more than a name, it’s a stand for freedom, resilience, and the values this country was built on. Every tee, hat, and mug is a symbol of unapologetic pride. Wear it loud, wear it proud, and let the world know: freedom isn’t negotiable.
Click the link below to join the movement.