Background: News footage of Leah Verona Scott in court on Aug. 27 (WPBF). Inset: Leah Verona Scott (Palm Beach County Sheriff”s Office).
A Florida woman allegedly gunned down her own father in front of his home after he told his daughter to “Get out of my face.”
Leah Verona Scott, 43, was charged with first-degree murder after police in West Palm Beach tracked her down following the alleged shooting. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Scott was driving through the neighborhood where her father, 75-year-old Leroy Scott, lived at around 8:22 a.m. on Tuesday. She was en route to visit her aunt and uncle, who live a few doors down from her father.
According to the affidavit, Leah Scott saw her father working in his driveway and decided to get out of her car to confront him. When he walked away from her, she allegedly pulled a handgun from her waistband and shot him in the back.
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The affidavit said that after Leroy Scott fell to the ground, his daughter allegedly shot him three more times. She then got back into her Saturn Vue and left the scene.
Leroy Scott died at the scene after life-saving efforts failed, police said. The entire incident was caught on residential security cameras as well as a camera from Bak Middle School, which was in session at the time and just 50 feet away, according to police.
Leah Scott was quickly identified and located by police, who placed her in custody and took her in for questioning. According to the affidavit, Leah Scott confessed to police that she shot her father and explained that she wanted to tell him to “stop bothering her.” His response to her was “Get out of my face,” and he walked away from her. Leah Scott said that this “made her upset.”
According to the affidavit, Leah Scott said that she intended to shoot herself after allegedly shooting her father, but decided against it, telling police it “was not right.” She told police that she got rid of her gun.
Leah Scott had been employed as a teacher at JFK Middle School at the time of the alleged shooting. Local Fox affiliate WFLX obtained a statement from the school stating, “Ms. Scott will no longer have access to our campus or have contact with students.”
In a court appearance on Wednesday, Leah Scott was denied bond by a judge. Her defense attorney, Scott Skier, told local ABC affiliate WPBF, “I don’t think that we should rush to rely solely on that narrative. I think that with time, facts will emerge that explain the circumstances and perhaps avail a defense to this.”
Leah Scott was charged with first-degree murder and exhibiting weapons on school property, which is a result of the shooting being so close to Bak Middle School. Her next court date is scheduled for Sept. 25.
