The 9-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his adoptive mother this week had previously threatened to commit violent acts, and the woman he is now accused of killing reportedly feared he was not getting the help he needed.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Pauline Randol was fatally shot at her home in Fawn River Township, Michigan, on Monday, and her young son is now accused of murdering her.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect and it is unclear if he will be tried as a juvenile or adult. According to the most recent information, he is being evaluated at a mental health facility.

It is not known what prompted the fatal shooting, but those familiar with the boy said in media interviews that he had demonstrated worrisome behavior.

A neighbor of the family told local news station WOOD that the suspect had previously fired a bow and arrow at the neighbor’s grandchildren. And a mother of a young girl told WMMT that the boy had threatened to stab her 8-year-old daughter in February of last year.

“He told her that he wanted to get a knife and stab her and watch her die, and watch her mother cry,” the woman said.

The victim’s daughter, and the suspect’s adoptive sister, Hailey Martin, indicated that the boy had adjustment difficulties and that her mother, who reportedly adopted him in 2016, feared for his future.

“She had told her doctor one time she was so scared she was raising the next serial killer,” Martin told WOOD.

Still, Martin insisted that her brother loved his mother and that he did not understand his own actions.

“It’s going to mess him up for a really long time because he does not realize what he’s done,” she said.

[Feature image: Pauline Randol/Facebook]