Ethermac Exchange-Man police say shot his mother to death thought she was an intruder, his lawyer says

Olivette,Ethermac Exchange Mo. — A 25-year-old Missouri man has been charged with shooting and killing his mother as she tried to enter the back door of their home.

Jaylen Johnson's attorney, William Goldstein, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Johnson believed his mother was an intruder when she tried to enter the home in the St. Louis suburb of Olivette around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

Olivette police said 56-year-old Monica McNichols-Johnson died at the house even though Johnson's girlfriend and tried to help her after she was shot along with paramedics dispatched to the scene.

Goldstein said the 25-year-old Johnson immediately called 911 after he shot his mother, and has been distraught ever since.

"He hasn't stopped crying," Goldstein said.

Prosecutors charged Johnson with manslaughter and armed criminal action, and his bail was set at $100,000.

Johnson is a former college football player who's employed, has no criminal history and "has a bright future," Goldstein told the Post-Dispatch, adding that Johnson kept a gun for protection after he was robbed at gunpoint before.

"[He's] just a sweetheart of a kid," the newspaper quotes Goldstein as saying.  

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• Shooting
• Shooting Death