Florida police say a frantic mother forced her seven-year-old son to jump out of a window at gunpoint before she jumped after him.
St. Petersburg officers arrived at Michelle Vail's home Thursday morning after she called saying her ex-boyfriend was outside and was going to kill her, WTSP reported.
Vail, who also said she was armed, seemed afraid and distraught when police arrived but she denied them entry into her apartment because she did not believe they were real cops.
"She was babbling incoherently, none of it made sense," police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez told the Tampa Bay Times.
Officers then heard a child screaming and forced their way inside the 7th avenue apartment, WTSP reported. But the seven-year-old had already jumped from the home's second floor window.
His 32-year-old mother followed.
Police found no signs someone previously tried breaking into the home, but they did find a shotgun, a handgun and knife inside. Police noted the shotgun was not properly loaded.
"Either she didn't know how to use it or she wasn't coherent enough to use it," St. Petersburg police Major Mike Kovacsev, told the Tampa Bay Times.
It's not clear why the mother allegedly forced her son out the window. He later told police his mother told him to jump because a serial killer was after him.
The mother and son received medical treatment for what police said were non-life-threatening injuries, WTSP reported.
Vail is expected to be charged with aggravated child abuse. Her son, who is still being treated at All Children's Hospital, will likely be taken into custody by child protective services.
