Police arrested Kendra Scott, 36, after finding a 20-year-old man dead with a gunshot wound to the back of his head outside her Memphis, Tennessee home at 1:40 h on 16/7.

Scott stated that upon returning home, she "saw a man hiding under her daughter's bed" and "did what she had to do."

According to court records, Scott's 13-year-old daughter told police she had invited Rodderius Morton, 20, to their home around 1 h. About 30 minutes later, Scott returned, forcefully knocked on the front door, and shouted, "Who is in my house?" The daughter became frightened when she saw her mother holding a gun.

The teenager told police that Scott had previously threatened to shoot "any boy she found in the house."

Eventually, the 13-year-old opened the door for her mother. Scott found Morton hiding under the bed, yelled at him to "get out of the house," and then chased him as he ran out the front door.

Immediately afterward, Scott's daughter and a neighbor heard a gunshot.

The neighbor stated that upon running outside, they saw Scott holding a gun, standing next to Morton who was lying motionless, and repeatedly saying, "I shot him."

Police recovered a shell casing on the front porch of the house and a handgun.

According to the Memphis Police Department, Scott faces charges of first-degree murder and using a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

Kendra Scott is accused of fatally shooting Rodderius Morton, 20, outside her home in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo: Action News 5/Memphis Police

Scott is currently being held without bond, awaiting a judge's decision on her bail.

"This incident began as the worst nightmare for any parent with a 13-year-old daughter," Scott's attorney stated. The attorney added that a key question in the case will be whether anyone could have acted rationally under those circumstances.

However, Buddy Smith, a former law enforcement officer and self-defense firearm instructor, noted that the known details of the case do not appear to qualify for protection under Tennessee's "Castle Doctrine."

This doctrine allows a person to be immune from criminal or civil liability if they use reasonable force, including deadly force, against an intruder in their home. However, Smith believes the current circumstances of the case do not meet the conditions for this provision to apply.

Smith explained that under the "Castle Doctrine," residents are permitted to defend themselves and those in their home when an intruder intends to commit a violent felony against them or their family. In Scott's case, however, he pointed out that the police affidavit does not allege Morton threatened the mother or anyone else at the time.

"These details will likely become important issues for the court, and ultimately the jury, to consider," Smith stated.

The case has sparked intense debate on social media, with some arguing Scott's actions were justified, while others believe the mother went too far.

Even Scott's neighbors hold conflicting views on the incident.

"She seems like a very good person. The only thing I can say is it's heartbreaking to have a man in one of your daughters' rooms," Gloria Milon, who lives near Scott in the Walker Homes neighborhood of Memphis, told the media.

Another nearby resident suggested Scott should have simply called 911. "If I were in that situation... I would call the police and have them at the house before me. Then they would subdue that man and put him in jail," the anonymous neighbor said.

Tue Anh (according to Nypost, Action News 5)