Pennsylvania Mother, Toddler Shot Inside Their Home; Woman In Critical Condition

A Pennsylvania mother and her 1-year-old daughter were allegedly shot inside their family home Thursday, the police said.

The authorities were called to a residence on South 56th Street in Philadelphia after the woman’s boyfriend found her lying on the floor in a second-floor bedroom. She had two gunshot wounds on her back. The incident occurred around 1.50 a.m. on Thursday.

Authorities at the scene found the woman’s 1-year-old daughter with a gunshot wound on her stomach.

The woman, 33, who is a mother of four, was rushed to a hospital. Currently, she is in critical condition. The toddler was taken to a Children’s hospital in Philadelphia, where she was listed as stable. The victims have not been identified.

"We know that this 33-year-old female lives at this location with her four children between the ages of 1 and 11. All her children were home at the time," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said, media outlet WSYX reported.

According to the police, the boyfriend told the investigators he had left the home for about 10 minutes. When he returned, he found the injured woman.

"Preliminary information is that this female was discovered by her live-in boyfriend," Small was quoted as saying by KYW-TV. "That boyfriend, who also lives here, is cooperating with police, and he has been transported to Southwest detectives where he is being interviewed."

The other children in the house were unharmed, the police said.

"I'm just really lost for words," neighbor Gloria Fleming told WSYX. "I had actually gone over there to talk to them because we were going to all go out and take them out because they're really nice people." Fleming, who lives next door, said she did not hear any noise until the police arrived.

Detectives are searching for the shooter, and will review security footage from cameras in the block as part of the investigation.

The 1-year-old is the latest victim of the city’s increasing crime against children. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the head and dropped off in front of a hospital. He later died from his injuries. "We're supposed to save them, and they're becoming casualties when they're supposed to be safe in the home," said Todd McCoy, who runs a youth mentoring program for at-risk kids. "They're supposed to be safe at school, walking down the street with parents."