A 30-year-old man was arrested after an accidental shooting left a boy dead, and a driver has been charged with murder in connection with a crash that killed a 3-year-old girl.
Prosecutors said Syiede Booker left an unsecured gun inside a house in East Germantown on Tuesday night when 9-year-old Rajib Ingram was shot in the face. Rajib was discovered in the back bedroom by his 15-year-old brother.
The District Attorney’s Office said Booker initially lied to investigators about his role in the shooting. Authorities have not said who fired the weapon.
Booker, of Feltonville, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangerment and other related offenses. He is being held on $1.1 million bail, according to the DA’s Office.
“Kids and firearms do not belong anywhere near each other,” DA Larry Krasner said in a statement. “I’m again urging Philadelphians with guns at home to keep them locked and out of reach of children.”
Authorities said Brionna Taylor, 28, of Abington, was driving under the influence when she allegedly caused a deadly six-vehicle crash Wednesday evening that spanned several blocks along Frankford Avenue in Mayfair.
Witnesses told police Taylor was driving recklessly as she side-swiped a SEPTA bus and proceeded to hit four cars, one of which contained two girls. A 3-year-old girl died at Jefferson Frankford Hospital, and a 7-year-old is being treated for multiple broken bones and lacerations, police said.
Five other people were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to authorities.
Taylor has been charged with third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while under the influence, as well as multiple counts of aggravated assault, the DA’s Office said.
“This incident in Mayfair was another completely preventable tragedy that culminated in the violent death of a toddler,” Krasner said.
Investigators said six people witnessed the crash, which was also caught on nearby surveillance cameras.
In other news, a man who authorities say shot an alleged thief in Port Richmond has been charged with murder, police announced Thursday.
William Putt, 39, died after being shot in his shoulder and back just after 4 a.m. Wednesday on the 2700 block of E. Somerset St. He had reportedly been trying to steal DJ equipment from a trailer.
Police said Quoc H. Ngo, 37, who lived on the block, shot Putt, and, on Thursday, he was charged with murder, carrying an illegal gun, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice.
Ngo is being held without bail.
