A New York City man threw his 4-year-old brother off the roof of their 7-story apartment building early Saturday because he “wanted to see if God could protect the kid,” police sources told Newsweek.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Shawn Smith, 20, is accused of taking his younger brother, Shirmon, out of bed and onto the roof of the Brooklyn building—where he threw him to his death. Smith reportedly then approached officers and told them, “My brother may be hurt. He might be dead” before leading them to his body.

READ More: Boy, 4, dies after adult brother allegedly throws him off roof of 7-story apartment building

Residents told local news outlets that Shawn suffered from mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. The boys’ mother, Frith, told Newsweek that Shawn was manic and laughing uncontrollably on the night of the incident. She also claimed the 20-year-old had stopped taking his medication days before the deadly incident.

People reported that Shawn has confessed to killing his brother. Facing second-degree murder charges, the New York Daily News spotted him telling reporters, “I’ve finally become a criminal!” outside the 70th Precinct on Saturday night.

The man’s mother also revealed to the New York Post that she had moved here from Guyana in December. Shawn also grew up in Guyana but his father recently sent him to New York because he “was too much to handle,” she said.

According to the Post, Shawn has had at least two mental health episodes since moving to the U.S. In April, he reportedly threatened to kill himself on the same roof he’s accused of throwing his brother off of. In July, he was reportedly hospitalized for three weeks following an undisclosed incident.

Reports indicated that Shawn is still being hospitalized as of late Sunday.

[Featured Image: Shirmon Smith/WCBS video screengrab]