USA: 10-yr-old boy shot, killed mother for virtual reality headset, say prosecutors

A 10-year-old boy in America's Milwaukee has been accused of shooting his mother because she would not buy him a virtual reality headset. Prosecutors said that the boy intentionally aimed a gun at his mother, and shot and killed her.

He has been charged as an adult as Wisconsin law allows this for serious crimes. The boy's attorneys can seek to move the case to juvenile court. He is currently being held in juvenile detention.

The boy's relatives said that he has mental health issues. When he was 4, he swung the family's puppy around by its tail, the complaint says. Six months ago, family told police, the boy filled a balloon with a flammable liquid and set it on fire, causing an explosion that burned furniture and the carpet. Relatives recalled that when asked about that, the boy said he hears five imaginary people talking to him.

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The boy told detectives that he aimed the gun at his mom with two hands while in a shooting stance. He said he tried shooting at the wall to "scare her" when she walked in front of him and he shot her, the complaint says.

(With PTI inputs)