Jovan Belcher Mom: ‘That’s My Son And I Love Him’

Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend in front of his mother before driving to the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility and killing himself, but his mom said she still loves her son despite his final violent act.

Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, had been living with the Chiefs linebacker and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. She was at their home early Saturday helping watch the couple’s 3-month-old daughter Zoey when Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend nine times.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Shepherd said she still loves both of the deceased parents to her granddaughter.

“That’s my son, and I love him,” Shepherd said by telephone Wednesday. “She’s my daughter-in-law, just like my daughter.”

She added that she wasn’t happy to hear about the release of 911 calls that showed the final moments of Jovan Belcher’s life. One of the calls came from Shepherd herself.

“I just got a phone call that they did that, and I don’t appreciate it,” she said. “Right now I don’t want to talk about it.”

As CNN noted, Jovan Belcher’s baby daughter can be heard wailing in the background of the 911 call as his mother was in hysterics.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Kasi,” Shepherd cried on the 911 tape. “The baby is crying … Please get the ambulance here!”

Shepherd can later be heard pleading with Jovan Belcher to stay with her until police arrived, but he fled the scene.

He later found his way to the Chiefs practice facility where he caught head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli in the parking lot. Belcher thanked them for what they had done for him and asked that they help take care of his daughter after he was gone.

Both Piolo and Crennel tried to get Jovan Belcher to put down his gun, but, when the linebacker heard police sirens, he knelt behind a car and fired a single gunshot into his head.