Son fatally shoots stepfather for allegedly abusing mother, police say

SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - An arrest has been made in the fatal shooting that left one man dead in Tennessee Thursday evening.

WMC reports the victim was fatally shot by his 23-year-old stepson, Najja Simmons.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a home on Piermont Street at around 6:45 p.m. after they say Simmons called 911 to report that he had just shot his stepfather.

There, deputies found the victim on the dining room floor, unresponsive, with a single gunshot wound to the head. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the arrest affidavit, the murder weapon, a handgun, was found in the front yard.

According to WMC, witnesses told deputies that Simmons shot his stepfather without warning and without being provoked.

Simmons told deputies that he shot his stepfather because he believed he was abusing his mother. He also admitted to throwing the handgun in the front yard.

Simmons is charged with one count of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

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