A 32-year-old man is dead after an alleged domestic incident in Carroll County Monday evening.
In a 911 call obtained by JMN, Audrey Branch calls 911 after she said she shot her boyfriend, Matthew Mott, in the chest because he was punching her in the face. In the call, she said she shot him in the chest.
“My boyfriend was punching me in my face and I shot him, he’s dead,”
Branch said.
Dispatcher: “You shot him? Where?” Branch: “In his chest.”
When the dispatcher asked if Mott was still breathing, Branch said, “He’s outside now, I haven’t been outside to check on him. My whole head is bruised up.”
During the 911 call, Branch said she and her boyfriend were arguing and he ‘just attacked’ her. She said he was hitting her in the head and said, “my rifle is right under the bed and I grabbed it. He started coming after me and I shot him. I shot him in the chest.”
“I had to call before, like a month ago for someone to come out here,” Branch said.
“For a domestic situation?” dispatched asked. “Yes ma’am,” Branch replied.
In the call, Branch said her forehead was bleeding, she had a busted lip and she had knots all around her face from Mott punching her in her face.
Branch told the dispatcher there was a hole in the wall where Mott smashed her head into the wall and he started punching her.
“From there, I just got my rifle from under the bed and got up. He was coming back towards me and I shot him.”
Dispatch assisted Branch through the proper steps to perform CPR on Mott. She performed CPR but he died at the scene, according to Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams.
“I think he’s gone,” Branch can be heard telling dispatch. “I don’t feel a pulse. There’s no movement. There’s no rise or fall of the chest.”
MILITARY EXPERIENCE
In the 911 call, Branch said her and Mott are both military veterans and they’ve both been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
During her court arraignment in Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon, Branch said she served 10 years in the U.S. Army.
MOTHER
Branch has three children ages 3, 9 and 11. It is unclear if Mott is the father of her children.
In the call, Branch said her three-year-old daughter was in the house but asleep when the incident took place.
LOCATION
The shooting occurred at the couple’s home at 6344 Arbor Rd NE in Mechanicstown.
NEXT COURT HEARING
Branch was charged with murder and felonious assault. She will appear in court for a preliminary hearing May 12 at 11 a.m. She opted to not use a public defender and said she will obtain her own attorney.