Teen Allegedly Hands Rifle to Mom After Fatally Shooting Dad, Calling 911: 'I Had to Do It'

An 18-year-old Missouri man stands accused of one count of murder in the first degree and armed criminal action after the shooting death of his adoptive father on the night of September 28. The Missouri Highway Patrol, Bates County Sheriff’s Office, and Adrian Police Department responded to a 911 call from a residence in the community approximately 55 miles south of Kansas City, arriving within minutes of the shooting. The shooting suspect, Carter J. Curtis, was found and arrested about a block from the scene of the crime, according to a press release from the sheriff's office. The victim, 41-year-old John McMurphy was pronounced dead on the scene. He is described as Curtis' adoptive father in the release. According to the sheriff's department, officers were on the scene within two minutes of the call, and within an additional two minutes, Curtis was in custody. "I want to thank everyone for their fast response to this incident. I take pride in working together to put the safety and security of this community first," he said in the press release. "At this time, we still have a lot of investigation to continue but we can assure the community there is no additional danger relating to this incident." "We would like to offer our condolences to the family and friends affect by this tragic event," he continued. "We have no further information at this time." According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Adrian Police Department, as reported by Law & Crime, the victim's wife told authorities that she was awakened to the sound of a gunshot. She reported walking into the hallway, where she encountered the suspect. The woman stated that Curtis handed her the rifle and told her, "I already called 911 and I had to do it," per the affidavit, and then walked down the stairs. She then said she saw her husband "face down in the dining room by the table," according to the document. The affidavit confirms the woman's story, stating that police received a call at approximately 11:23 p.m., with the reporting party stating on the call that he had shot the victim. The responding officer stated in the affidavit that he arrived on the scene at 11:31 p.m. to find "two white females in the driveway that were hysterical," one of them a juvenile. One of the women reportedly told police, "he has never been violent." Police then report finding the victim deceased, face down with a gunshot wound to the head in the kitchen. Police recovered a Mossberg .308 rifle with "a spent shell casing still in the chamber," according to the legal statement. They further stated "there was a magazine in the rifle that did not have additional bullets in it. In court on Monday, Curtis pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond in the Bates County Jail. His next court appearance is set for October 7.