Grandmother of 10-Year-Old Charged with Fatally Shooting his Mom Says 'I Can't Believe He Did It'

Lueritha Mann told Milwaukee news station TMJ4 that she's in disbelief her grandson could shoot and kill her daughter

Lueritha Mann believes her grandson should "pay for" what he did after the 10-year-old allegedly killed his mother because she would not buy him a virtual reality headset.

The grandmother told TMJ4 Milwaukee that she is in disbelief that the boy, who she says has had long-diagnosed "rage issues," allegedly killed his mother 44-year-old Quiana Mann last month.

"I can't believe he did it," Lueritha told the station in an interview.

The boy's aunt, Rhonda Reid, also told the outlet that she didn't think her nephew was capable of violence, but that she believes there was a motive behind his alleged premeditated killing.

"He was upset about these [electronic] devices being taken away," Reid said.

The boy's mother had recently begun limiting his access to electronics after he was diagnosed with mood and conduct disorder, she said.

Yet both women think that the boy should face punishment for his actions, despite his mental illness. He is being charged with first-degree homicide as an adult, per the station.

"I do understand how they [prosecutors] were able to come up with that charge," Reid said.

Quiana Mann
Quiana Mann. GoFundMe

On Nov. 21, Quiana was shot in the eye at close range at her Milwaukee home, allegedly by her son, who has not been publicly named due to his age, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. The complaint alleged that after the shooting, the boy first tried hiding the gun, and then told his older sister their mother was dead, and the sister called 911.

The child allegedly used Mann's keys to remove the gun from her locked gun safe at about 7 a.m. that morning. He allegedly told detectives he'd taken the gun out because he was angry Mann had woken him up 30 minutes early, and because he was upset she would not let him buy the headset from Amazon.

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One day after the killing, he logged into his deceased mother's Amazon account to buy the Oculus Virtual Reality Headset anyway, the complaint alleged.

The boy has exhibited disturbing behavior since he was 4, according to the complaint, when he allegedly held his puppy by the tail and whirled him around until the dog "whined and howled in pain."

He also allegedly started a fire in the home by filling a balloon with flammable liquid and igniting it, per the complaint, TMJ4 reported.

A family member also told investigators the little boy "has five different imaginary people that talk to him." These imaginary people are described as two sisters, an old lady, and two men, the complaint stated, per the outlet.

Despite his documented behavioral problems, his grandmother said she cannot bring herself to speak to the boy, who is in a juvenile detention facility. "I hope I do one day, but right now no," she said. "He took something very precious from me."

The boy is due back in court next month, per the news station.

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