A 75-year-old woman in the US has been charged with shooting her grandson over a cup of tea, according to local media.

Helen Washington is said to have wounded the boy because he rested his drink on a wooden table in her home.

Police officers arrived at the property in Brooklyn Centre, Minnesota, to find the victim with a bullet hole in his right thigh, the Star Tribune reported.

According to the newspaper, an argument began after the boy placed a teacup on some furniture, believed to be a wooden table.

It added the grandmother got upset, poured away the tea and went to fetch a gun.


When the boy got another cup of tea and once again rested it on her table, Washington allegedly pulled out a .38 Special and shot him.

Police arrested Washington at the scene.

She told them she did not think she should be jailed and asked where the bullet had struck her grandson, WBTV said.

Washington has been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, KRMG reported.

A judge has also apparently ordered an evaluation to see if she is fit to stand trial.

The name and age of her grandson have not been released.