WAYNE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — In an exclusive interview with LEX 18 Tuesday, a man charged with shooting his mother on Mother's Day admitted to the shooting and said he regretted the incident.
Jacob Small, 22, spoke with LEX 18 from Wayne County Detention Center, where he has been lodged since Sunday.
"She's my mom and I love her," Small said. "I still love her."
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office said Small told officers he had gotten into an argument with his mother over "an Xbox controller that he had given to her as a gift." He has been charged with three counts, including attempted murder-domestic violence.
Small explained to LEX 18 that while an Xbox controller was at the center of a verbal argument, it was not the reason he said he grabbed the .22-caliber rifle.
"That's not the whole story," Small said.
Small explained that his mother did not accept the gift, citing her family's rule against the exchanging of gifts. Small claimed his stepfather intervened and things escalated.
"It was just them yelling and screaming," said Lita Small, Jacob's wife.
Jacob Small said his stepfather became physical.
"He put his hands on my throat," Small said.
Although the fight was broken up and the tension dissipated, Small grew increasingly angry after he claimed his stepfather made a comment about his biological father.
"My dad had taken care of me most of my childhood because my childhood was rough," Small said. "And he did the best that he could. When they said all that stuff, I guess I just couldn't keep it in anymore."
Lita Small said her in-laws were getting in their car to leave when she saw her husband walk inside. When he returned outside, she said, he was holding her gun.
"I didn't think he was actually going to shoot," Small said. "And I just kinda froze."
Jacob Small said he brought out the gun to try to scare his mother and stepfather, but did not intend to hurt his mother.
Small said he regrets the shooting, but hopes a prosecutor and judge show leniency, citing his struggles with mental illness and the fact that the shooting was his first offense.
"That whole day was just anger because I hadn't taken my meds that day," Small said.
Small said he takes antipsychotic medication for his bipolar disorder.
"I try to pack it all in until eventually, I guess I explode," Small said.
