WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — WPTV is learning more information about what led to Tuesday's deadly shooting in West Palm Beach that left a 75-year-old man dead near Bak Middle School.
The victim, identified as Leroy Scott, was shot and killed outside his home on Haden Avenue. Police said his daughter, Leah Scott, 43, is responsible for his death.
Scott was booked into the Palm Beach County jail at about 8 p.m. Tuesday.
According to a probable cause affidavit, she was a teacher at JFK Middle School at the time of her arrest.
Surveillance footage from neighboring residences and from Bak Middle School showed Leroy Scott outside his house on Haden Avenue shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, when his daughter, driving by in her vehicle, approached him in the driveway.
After a brief interaction, investigators said Leroy Scott walked away with his back turned from his daughter.
The affidavit said Leah Scott drew a handgun from her waistband, followed her father down the driveway and fired the first shot at her father's back from only a few feet away. After the victim fell to the ground, the report said she shot at him three more times.
The arrest report said Leah Scott fled in her car and was located less than a mile away at about 9:30 a.m. in the 5400 block of Greenwood Avenue.
In an interview with the police, Scott admitted to shooting her father. She told investigators she confronted him to tell him to "stop bothering her." She said he responded, "Get out of my face," before walking away.
Leah Scott said she didn't recall how many times she shot at her father, but that she intended to shoot herself afterward. She then decided that "it was not right" and discarded the gun.
She is being held without bond and faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm and a charge of exhibiting weapons on school property for being less than 1,000 feet away from Bak Middle School.
WPTV obtained the message sent to JFK Middle School parents on Tuesday:
"Today, we were notified that Ms. Leah Scott, a member of our instructional staff, was arrested by the West Palm Beach Police Department. She has been charged with first degree murder.
Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities, and Ms. Scott will no longer have access to our campus or have contact with students.
We are taking immediate steps to ensure that your child’s learning continues without interruption. A certified, full-time substitute teacher is assigned to the impacted classes, and we are working to place a permanent, highly-qualified educator as quickly as possible.
Our school counselor team is ready to provide on-campus support for those students and staff who request it."
