A Lake Wales, Florida man was arrested and charged in connection to the fatal shooting of his mother for asking him not to smoke cigars inside his bedroom.
Seth Settle, 19, was charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, discharging a firearm on a residential property, and providing false information to enforcement.
Fox 13 Tampa Bay reports that Settle shot and killed his 53-year-old mother shortly after his father left for work on Thursday morning. Settle’s brother called 911 after finding his mother had collapsed.
According to a press conference held by Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday morning, a nurse at the hospital noticed the victim’s injuries were suspicious and contacted the police. Investigators located Settle, who confessed to shooting his mother.
He told authorities that he was depressed and had been holding the gun to his head. His mom asked him to stop smoking cigars in his room and then close the door. He claims the gun was accidentally discharged, hitting his mother through the bedroom door.
Judd said that deputies don’t believe Settle’s version of events. Instead, they believe he shot his mother out of anger and then fled.
“The suspect is trying to play this off as an accident, but he had a loaded gun and intentionally pointed it at the door where the victim just exited, and he fired it,” Judd said. “He fled the scene without rendering aid; then, he arranged for a friend to dispose of the weapon. These are not the actions of a man who just accidentally killed someone.”
It appears the gun had been obtained illegally by Settle.
