'I still love her' | Kentucky man accused of shooting mom on Mother's Day speaks from jail | Crime Reports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A man accused of shooting his mother on Mother's Day has admitted to the crime and said he regrets what happened.

In an exclusive interview with LEX 18, 22-year-old Jacob Small spoke from the 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 is facing three charges, including Attempted Murder.

Small told LEX 18 that, while an Xbox controller was at the center of the argument, it was not the reason 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. He shot through a car, and she was hit. She is expected to recover.

Afterward, he said he walked to a neighbor's home and turned himself in.

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 any meds that day," Small said.

Small said he takes antipsychotic medication for his bipolar disorder three times a day.

"I try to pack it all in until eventually, I guess I explode," Small said.

He said he is also a father himself.

"I miss my kids," he said. "I love my kids. I broke down in tears after he [Jacob's son] said he loved me and he was eating his Happy Meal."

Sitting in the chapel at the Wayne County Detention Center, Small said he's been doing a lot of praying since he was booked Sunday, but points out that he can't even have a Bible since he's on suicide watch.

Jacob Small said he's not trying to make excuses. He knows he's in the wrong, and that he may be behind bars for quite a while.

But he wants people to know this story is more than just a headline about a man who shot his mother on Mother's Day over an Xbox controller.

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