MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis mother says she’s heartbroken and desperate to get help for her son after he allegedly tried to kill her in her home, then was accidentally shot in the leg.
Officers say they responded to the 2600 block of Select Avenue in Orange Mound regarding a shooting around 9:40 p.m., where they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to Regional One in critical condition.
Edna Jackson told police on the scene that her 30-year-old son came home high on marijuana and ecstasy pills. She said he became “irate” and “mad.”
He then allegedly began threatening her by saying, “B****, I’ll kill you.”
The suspect then walked into her bedroom and grabbed her gun out of her bag. The woman told police that he pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed. He then dropped the gun, picked it back up, and shot himself.
The man was shot in the leg.
Edna Jackson, a mother of nine, said her son grabbed her gun and pointed it at her, threatening her with it. She tried to wrestle it out of his hands, the gun jammed, and then went off.
The bullet ricocheted off the floor and hit his leg.
“I held him in my arms. Because that’s my child,” Jackson said.
She did not identify her son by name, but said he has been battling mental illness for years.
It is unclear if he is facing charges. He is still in critical condition at Regional One.
“I love you and I want you to get better,” Jackson said, speaking to her son.