Teen struggling with boyfriend over gun kills mom in Arlington, faces manslaughter charge
A 19-year-old woman who was struggling with her boyfriend over a handgun when it fired and fatally shot her mother faces a charge of manslaughter in the case, Arlington police said Wednesday.
Lauran McCutcheon was arrested Monday and she was in the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Arlington police said.
McCutcheon is accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of her mother, 38-year-old Zoneta A. Little, who died on Aug. 10 in an Arlington parking lot.
Family members of Zoneta Little could not be reached Wednesday.
The 23-year-old man also faces a charge of possession of a stolen firearm because the handgun belonged to him and it had been reported stolen in Louisiana. Arlington police identified the man as Bobby Davis.
Arlington police responded to the shooting call just after 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 in the 2100 block of Cottoncreek Drive.
An arrest warrant affidavit written by an Arlington detective provided these details:
Davis is the father of McCutcheon’s child, and she had called him on Aug. 10, saying she was breaking up with him and going to throw his things out of their Arlington apartment.
Davis, who told police that he was upset, drove to the location and an argument ensued with McCutcheon. Little was there to support her daughter.
McCutcheon told detectives she brought down a box of Davis’ clothes while carrying a kitchen knife for protection. She told police she saw Davis go toward the driver’s seat of his Dodge Charger and believed he was going for his handgun. A witness who was in the passenger seat of the Charger said Davis was putting a TV in the car.
McCutcheon said she knew Davis kept the handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console of the car. Police found a .40-caliber Glock 22 at the scene.
McCutcheon told police she dove into the car and grabbed the handgun and pointed it toward Davis, according to the warrant.
She said she was trying to remove the magazine when Davis grabbed the handgun. The two wrestled over the gun for about 30 seconds when it accidentally went off, causing a bullet to strike and kill Little.
Davis told Arlington detectives that he pushed the handgun toward the ground several times, but the gun went off near his head during the struggle, striking Little.
Little was standing nearby when she was fatally wounded.
Davis later told detectives he denied knowing that the handgun had been reported stolen out of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office in Shreveport, Louisiana.
McCutcheon and Davis were still at the scene when officers arrived.
At the time of the shooting, Davis was arrested on a charge of possessing less than 2 ounces of marijuana, Arlington police said.
McCutcheon was in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday with bond set at $5,000.
