Appalling reason woman shot seven-month-old baby in the leg on Philadelphia street
The horrific reason a Philadelphia woman shot a seven-month-old baby in the leg has been revealed, with a lieutenant calling it ‘mind-boggling’.
Dominique Billips, 28, was arrested Friday in connection with the July 18 shooting and formally charged with three counts of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering a person and other offenses, Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum said at a news conference.
He then revealed that she was apparently angry over a “$100 drug debt” and that she may have been planning to shoot the baby’s father.
“Sometimes the things we see are astonishing,” Rosenbaum said at the news conference, according to USA Today.
‘People get so angry, they always resort to nonsense. I just don’t get it.’
Dominique Billips, 28, allegedly shot a seven-month-old baby in the leg because she was angry over a ‘$100 drug debt’
Billips was identified by witnesses as the shooter after police released surveillance footage from the scene of the shooting in Philadelphia’s Holmesburg neighborhood around 5:52 p.m. last Thursday.
The footage shows a woman slowly walking toward the couple on the side and then pointing her gun just a few feet away from the mother.
The child’s father runs away after the first shot is fired. She fires a second shot at the father, before turning to the mother and firing another shot, then running away.
She then screamed: “F**k your baby, bitch,” after the terrified mother shouted “my baby,” CCTV footage shows.
When police arrived on the scene, they found evidence of gunfire, but no victims.
They later learned that a baby in a stroller had been shot in the right leg and taken to a local hospital in a private vehicle.
A woman – who has since been identified as Billips – was caught on surveillance footage shooting a mother and the baby in a stroller
On Friday, Billips was followed by police and approached by detectives before she could get into a vehicle. This was also captured on surveillance footage.
They then obtained search warrants for both of Billips’ addresses and found an extended magazine, 11 live rounds and other ammunition. She was then arrested, Rosenbaum said.
Police now suspect that Billips was actually targeting the baby’s father. Rosenbaum says she had an argument with the child’s parents shortly before the shooting.
The mother then ran off with the child, while the father joined them, unaware that the shooter was following him.
“You see in that video she actually points the gun at the mother of the baby, who is also a minor, and shoots. Fortunately, she misses,” Rosenbaum said.
“A seven-month-old baby won’t remember that, but it will always be there. That story will always be there.”
Both parents fled after the shooting and a neighbor took the baby to the hospital for treatment. The baby’s father was later arrested by police and both parents were questioned
It is also believed that the parents did not remain at the scene after the shooting because there was an outstanding arrest warrant for one of them for a non-violent crime.
The baby was instead taken to a local hospital by a neighbor.
“When I found out the baby was seven months old and both parents said they had a search warrant. They got out of the car and I took the baby,” he said NBC Philadelphia.
“I just felt like I had to protect this child. It was overwhelming. It was scary. This person came to me and didn’t care, didn’t have any remorse, and just shot and walked away like nothing happened.”
It is unclear what the family of three was doing in the Holmesburg neighborhood, as they do not live in the area.
The baby’s father was later arrested by police and both parents were questioned.