A Nevada state lawmaker has said that her adopted son shot and wounded her nephew at her home while she was at a school event.
Pat Spearman, a Democratic state senator and candidate for mayor of North Las Vegas, spoke to the press outside the city’s jail.
“My son, Na’Onche, shot my nephew,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
Na’Onche Tamar Osborne, 21, is jailed and set to appear in court for charges of felony attempted murder, battery with a weapon, and a firearm violation.
Court records didn’t state if Mr Osborne had retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Ms Spearman said her nephew was “recovering at a hospital from non-life-threatening wounds”.
According to North Las Vegas police, officers were sent to the scene at 6.45pm on Thursday following a shooting being reported in the northwest of the city and a man in his 40s with a gunshot wound was transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Ms Spearman said Mr Osborne surrendered to law enforcement.
The three-term state senator failed to win a congressional seat in 2020 and she’s now running against city councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown to replace outgoing Mayor John Lee.
Mr Lee didn’t run for re-election to instead launch an unsuccessful bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Ms Spearman has previously been a pastor and an Army lieutenant colonel. She said she was “heartbroken” after the shooting.
She added that her commitment “to continue my leadership role in our community” was “stronger than ever”.
“Let me be clear. This is not about politics,” she said. “It is about a family that is struggling.”
Her campaign manager, Lisa Mayo DeRiso, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Ms Spearman was not leaving the race for mayor.
Ms Spearman told the press that she adopted Mr Osborne when he was a teenager to “show him a better life” in “a strong, loving and supportive home”.
“Na’Onche made a very poor decision and he’ll have to face the consequences,” Ms Spearman said. “As a mother, I support the justice system and my son. It is with a heavy heart that my family is impacted by gun violence.”
She said that when the shooting took place, she was attending a Halloween event at a school.
“If my opponent or her supporters attempt to politicize this issue, either through a blatant effort or a whisper campaign, shame on you. Shame on you,” Ms Spearman said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Ms Goynes-Brown said in a statement: “My thoughts are with the victim and my prayers are with the Senator in light of this unfortunate situation.”
“I knew raising him would be a challenge,” Ms Spearman told the press. “He was a child who witnessed violence early in life and he needed a strong, loving and supportive home in which to grow up. He made a bad decision last night that could have had much more tragic results.”
“My strong resume of compassionate leadership has in the last 12 hours been influenced by the many factors that contribute to gun violence, and that other families in North Las Vegas have sadly experienced,” she added.
