A Black mother in Memphis, Tennessee, is facing a first-degree murder charge after shooting a man she said she found hiding under her daughter’s bed.
WLBT reports that police responded to a call about a shooting in the early hours of Thursday morning. When they arrived, they found a man lying dead in the front yard with a gunshot wound to back of the head.
Memphis police posted the following on Friday:
On July 16, 2026, at approximately 1:50 a.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 3000 block of Travis Rd.
Officers made the scene and observed a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Kendra Scott, 36, was arrested on the scene and was later charged with First Degree Murder and Employing a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony.
According to WLBT, Scott told police, “I did what I had to do.”
Scott’s daughter reportedly told police that she had invited the man into the home and said her mother had warned her that if she ever brought a boy into the house, her mother would “put a hole in his ass.”
According to Law & Crime, Memphis police identified the man as 20-year-old Rodderius Morton.
Law & Crime reports that the girl invited the man inside the home at 1 a.m., and when Scott returned at 1:30 a.m., she was allegedly knocking loudly on the door and asking “Who’s at my house?”
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The girl went on to tell investigators that she was afraid of Scott because the defendant was visibly angry and toting a gun, police said. The girl also said Scott had previously told her: “If I see a boy in the house, then I will put a hole in his a—.”
Eventually, the girl opened the door and let Scott inside the residence, according to the charging document. At this time, Morton was hiding under the bed in the girl’s room, police said.
As Morton tried to leave, Scott found him and the two began to argue, the girl told law enforcement. The argument quickly devolved to Scott yelling at the victim to “Get out of my house, b—,” according to the affidavit. Then, the man made it to the front porch.
But Scott was allegedly right there with him, according to the charging document. The girl said she then heard a single shot ring out.
Scott is being detained at the Shelby County Jail without bond. She has a scheduled court hearing on Monday.
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