A dispute between a mother and her son over video games turned violent Thursday evening in southwest Atlanta, police said.
Officers were called to an apartment in the 1000 block of Sparks Street, which is off Lee Street, around 10:20 p.m. regarding a person shot. A 17-year-old boy was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and taken to the hospital, according to authorities.
The suspected shooter, who police said was the victim’s mother, remained at the scene. Jaquana Butler, 34, was taken into custody and is facing charges of aggravated assault, reckless conduct and third-degree cruelty to children.
According to police, a dispute occurred between the two over a video game console. At some point, Butler tried to shoot her son, but the gun malfunctioned, an incident report details.
The argument continued until the victim said to his mother, “You won’t do it.” To which Butler responded with, “Yes, I will,” according to the report.
She then pulled the trigger, striking her son, police said.
Once the victim realized he had been shot, he ran out of the apartment, only to have Butler chase him and shoot him in the back, the report states.
Thursday’s incident is not Butler’s first run-in with the law, jail and court records show. In 2019, she was found guilty as a first offender of four counts of second-degree child cruelty, child cruelty by causing excessive physical or mental pain, and battery family violence in a 2016 incident, according to court records. Butler was sentenced to six years on probation.
She was recently released from the Fulton County Jail on April 25 on a charge of simple battery. That case remains open.
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