MOTHER ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AT SON

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A mother has been accused of trying to shoot her
15-year-old son in a school office Wednesday because she was angry he was
caught with marijuana.

Verline Stiffic, 36, was summoned to Brinkley Middle School because her
son, whose name was not released, was caught with marijuana the day before
and was being recommended for expulsion, said police spokesman Robert Graham.

``She went into the school and started talking to her son,'' he said.
``Apparently, the conversation didn't go very well so she pulled out a gun
and shot at him.''

Nobody was injured and Stiffic was arrested as she left school.

She could face charges that include aggravated assault and felony
possession of a firearm on school property after firing a single shot at
the eighth-grader.

Assistant Superintendent Geraldine Bowie said the boy had a history of
trouble at school. The mother seemed calm when she asked other students to
leave the office when she confronted her son, Bowie said.

``He started running and she was just venting her anger at him,'' Bowie
said. ``That (shooting) was the way she responded, probably just to scare
him.''

Bowie said social workers will determine if Stiffic is fit to continue
taking care of her son.