Philadelphia Police Arrest Woman Who Allegedly Shot Toddler

Dominique Billips, 28, was arrested on suspicion that she shot a 7-month-old toddler on July 18. Billips is now facing charges of aggravated assault and violation of the Uniform Firearms Act in addition to other charges. She shot the youngster as allegedly opening fire on the child and her parents outside of a home in Philadelphia’s Holmesburg neighborhood.

According to ABC 6, Billips was identified as the shooter after a video surfaced showing a person with a gun walking up to a couple with a stroller and shooting. The child’s mother, who is also a juvenile, could be heard in the video repeatedly yelling, “My baby!” after shots were fired.

“You knew they had a stroller,” Lt. Denis Rosenbaum of the Philadelphia Police Department told ABC 6. “What makes you walk up to someone with a stroller and shoot them?”

The child was shot in the leg, according to police, and was nowhere to be found when police arrived. The parents, who had outstanding warrants, fled the scene due to fear of being arrested took the toddler w ith them. They were later brought in to be questioned and informed officers of an argument that happened earlier over a $100 narcotics dispute.

“One of the detectives from a different squad had recognized one of the females involved from another shooting where she was the victim in 2022,” Rosenbaum said. “It happened on the 4200 block of Rhawn Street in August of 2022.”

The police also got a tip that the shooting victim was on that video, which matches who the police thought it was. They also used the footage to locate a vehicle on the video, which was known to be used by Billips. Police found it with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Highway Patrol and a tip from someone they stopped who told them that Billips was at a house on Van Kirk.

According to Rosenbaum, “The suspect was asked to come out. She did and surrendered to the highway patrol officers. She was taken into custody without incident.”

Rosenbaum continued, “It’s sad, you see. She points the gun at the mother of the baby, who is also a juvenile, and fires. Luckily she missed, a 7-month-old baby might not remember that but that story is always going to be there.”