Teenager arrested after allegedly killing mother in domestic argument

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly shooting his mother in the back of the head following an argument over a stolen tablet.

Authorities responded to a report of a female with a gunshot wound in Cheyenne, Wyoming, around 12:50 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 7. 

Deputies found 41-year-old Theresa McIntosh “unconscious but breathing, with a visible gunshot wound to the back of her head,” according to a news release from the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office. 

She was airlifted to a Colorado medical center, where she later died from her injuries.

The teenager was taken into custody at the scene. Police later identified him as McIntosh’s son. 

According to a court affidavit, the boy initially claimed that his mother had shot herself, but he later admitted to firing the gun. 

The affidavit states the shooting followed a dispute over a tablet allegedly taken from one of McIntosh’s cleaning business clients.

The teen reportedly told authorities he became angry after his mother called him names and insulted him, and that he had previously thought about harming her when frustrated with household rules. 

He used a gun that his mother normally kept in her car, retrieving it from his closet after taking it during an earlier fight.

McIntosh’s common-law husband, who is also the boy’s father, was home at the time but did not hear the shooting because he was playing video games with noise-cancelling headphones. 

He reportedly mistook the gunshot for a balloon popping. When he went upstairs, he found his wife on the floor and his son outside the bedroom, who initially said he “didn’t know what happened.”

The father confirmed the teenager had been seeing a counselor and taking medication for mental health issues at the time of the incident.

The 14-year-old will be tried as an adult and faces life in prison if convicted. It is unclear whether he currently has legal representation.