Mother Arrested And Charged With Murder After Admitting To Shooting Son

Tesha Jenkins was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of her son, 16-year-old Robert Florence.

A Wichita woman is currently in jail on a $1.2 million bond after police say she shot her 16-year-old son, whom she described as being a “bad kid.”

Tesha Jenkins has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Robert Florence. After receiving a 911 call from Jenkins stating she shot her son, police officers, Sedgwick County EMS, and Wichita Fire Department personnel arrived at Jenkins’ apartment Oct. 9 after 8 a.m.

When police officers arrived, they found Florence with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

Jenkins was originally charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault domestic violence, and aggravated assault before being charged with his death. She reportedly told police officers that her son was a “bad kid” who was into drugs and wouldn’t go to school.

Police said she was “emotionally distraught” and “fell to the ground and rolled around in distress” when police approached her to handcuff her.

“I shot my baby,” she said. She claimed the shooting was an accident.

Jenkins told police officers that, although Florence was supposed to be at school, he did not go. After saying he was going to a neighbor downstairs to get some marijuana, he started “pulling down the curtains and tearing up bits of paper and throwing them on the floor” to antagonize her. Jenkins said he said he took a gun out of her backpack.

“Robert made no threats with the gun and did not point it at Jenkins,” the affidavit stated. “Jenkins lunged forward and grabbed the handgun and backpack from Robert.”

Jenkins allegedly pointed the gun at her son and asked him if he wanted to die before the gun “went off” and a bullet struck him in the head. She stated she thought the gun had no bullets and only intended to scare her son.