Missouri man fatally shot his mother in their home after mistaking her for an intruder

A 25-year-old man fatally shot his mother at their Olivette, Missouri, home after mistaking the victim for an intruder, his attorney said. According to KSDK, the fatal March 7 incident occurred while the victim, Monica McNichols-Johnson, 56, was attempting to enter their home from the back.

McNichols-Johnson’s son, Jaylen Johnson, has since been arrested and charged in connection with her killing. Authorities said McNichols-Johnson suffered a gunshot wound, adding that she was pronounced dead at the scene after responding paramedics executed life-saving measures. 

The 25-year-old’s attorney, Will Goldstein, said Johnson hasn’t stopped crying as he thought his mother was an intruder. “I got a frantic call from Monica’s father telling me what happened that Jaylen thought an intruder was coming from the back door and he fired shots,” Goldstein said.

“This thing is all tragic and he hasn’t stopped crying since. Jaylen loves his mom and his mom loved him …  Jaylen immediately called 911 and immediately called his grandfather and said he can’t believe this happened,” the attorney added.

Goldstein also made mention of gun accessibility. “As long as we have this easy accessibility to guns in the community whether for good or bad, whether to just to defend your premises, unfortunately things like this happen,” he stated.

Johnson, who has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, is being held on a $100,000 bond. His bond review is set for Wednesday, KSDK reported. 

Goldstein represented Johnson in court the day after the fatal incident. He  stated that the 25-year-old is “a mess right now.” “We are very hopeful he will get out on bond. He’s employed and has no criminal history,” he said.

“He was a college athlete and he’s a man with a bright future. Knowing Monica as I did, she would want nothing more for her son than him to land on his feet and have a good life.”