Ex-college football player shot, killed his mother at their Missouri home thinking she was an intruder

A former college football player mistakenly shot and killed his mother at the home they shared in Missouri because he suspected she was an intruder when she tried to enter through the back door, according to his attorney.

Jaylen Johnson, 25, was charged with voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in connection with the death of his mother, 56-year-old Monica Johnson-McNichols, Olivette police said in a news release. His bail was set at $100,000.

Johnson’s attorney, William Goldstein, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Johnson mistakenly believed his mother was an intruder when she attempted to enter their home in Olivette, Missouri, at around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

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“He hasn’t stopped crying,” Goldstein said.

Johnson’s girlfriend attempted life-saving efforts on his mother, as did paramedics when they arrived at the home, but Johnson-McNichols was pronounced dead at the scene.

Goldstein said Johnson immediately called 911 after shooting his mother, adding that he has been distraught since the incident.

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Johnson, a former college football player who is employed and has no criminal history, kept a gun for protection after he had previously been robbed at gunpoint.

“It’s just tragic,” Goldstein told FOX 2 St. Louis. “Jaylen loved his mother, and his mother loved him.”

The incident remains under investigation.