Mom shoots, kills 52-year-old daughter when she ‘would not stop talking,’ IN cops say

A woman shot and killed her adult daughter who she said had been bothering her, Indiana cops say.

The fatal shooting happened just before midnight Sunday, Dec. 10, at a home in South Bend, according to the South Bend Police Department.

The accused shooter’s son called 911 and told the dispatcher his mother just shot his sister, police said in court documents. Officers found the 52-year-old victim, ZaWondra Lee, dead inside the home and a gun beside her.

Her mother, 68-year-old Shirley Lee, admitted to the shooting, telling police she “did that to my child,” according to the court documents.

“I told her to stop talking, but she would not stop talking,” the mother said, according to police.

She said her daughter had been living with her for three months, but they were in a fight becausei ZaWondra “would not leave her alone,” police said.

The mom shut her bedroom door in her daughter’s face twice, then came out when she thought they were done arguing, the complaint said.

“(Shirley) Lee advised she became angry, retrieved her handgun and shot ZaWondra,” police said. “Lee stated she did not observe ZaWondra with a weapon during the incident.”

Shirley Lee was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter, according to a news release.

Loved ones called ZaWondra Lee “one of the sweetest and most (caring) people” and a “beautiful woman inside and out.”

“She would (have given you) the shirt off her back,” Naomi Guthrie said in a Facebook post. “Heaven truly gained an angel. But this is a life that was cut way too short.”

South Bend is about 90 miles southeast of Chicago.

This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 7:53 AM with the headline "Mom shoots, kills 52-year-old daughter when she ‘would not stop talking,’ IN cops say."