Mom Shoots Son Outside Restaurant for Being ‘Disrespectful’ During Christmas Brunch

A Christmas Day family meal in Miami spiraled into shocking violence after police say a woman shot her own son following an argument that began over brunch and escalated outside a crowded restaurant.

According to WPLG, 50-year-old Roseita Lavette Smith went to Overtown with her son on Christmas afternoon to eat at Red Rooster Overtown, a well-known neighborhood restaurant on Northwest Second Avenue.

What was supposed to be a holiday outing quickly turned tense. Police say Smith accused her son of acting “disrespectful” toward her and other family members while they were inside the restaurant.

Investigators say the argument didn’t end when the meal did. Instead, it followed them into the parking lot, where Smith and her son got into her vehicle. The dispute allegedly intensified inside the car, leading the son to step out.

That’s when the situation turned violent.

Police say Smith followed her son out of the vehicle and fired a single gunshot, hitting him in the left thigh. When officers arrived, they found the man bleeding on the ground.

Miami Fire Rescue treated him at the scene before transporting him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Smith was no longer at the scene when police arrived, but authorities say she was located later that day by the Miami Police Department’s Domestic Violence Felony Apprehension Team and taken into custody.

During questioning, Smith told investigators she acted in self-defense. According to police, she claimed her son threatened to assault her after refusing to get out of her vehicle and said she feared for her safety based on his past behavior.

Despite that claim, detectives say the victim identified his mother as the person who shot him while speaking with officers at the hospital.

Smith was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center shortly after midnight and is being held without bond. Jail records show she faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a serious felony under Florida law.

The investigation remains ongoing. Police have not released the victim’s age or said whether additional charges could be filed as detectives continue reviewing the case.