ST. LOUIS – An investigation is underway after a woman’s 12-year-old son opened fire on her boyfriend early Tuesday morning.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. in the 3800 block of Sullivan Avenue, located in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood. Police claim the 12-year-old boy fled when officers arrived at the residence. However, the child later surrendered to the authorities.

According to a spokesperson for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the boy’s mother and her boyfriend were arguing when the woman’s son got a shotgun and shot the boyfriend in the head.

“All I could think about was how scared the boy was at that time, without any guidance,” Eddie Ross, founder and CEO of Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation, said. “I’m sure it was isolated and whatever was going on in the house stayed in the house until the pot boiled over.”

Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, strengthening, and empowering survivors affected by domestic violence and various socio-economic conditions and say help is out there for victims.

Authorities said the man was semi-conscious and breathing when he was transported to the hospital.

“The idea that he wanted to protect his mom, some of us understand, but it’s also important that we work together to end domestic violence,” Shantasha Love, business manager for Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation, said.