The mother of an 11-year-old Philadelphia girl who was shot and killed by her 2-year-old brother is being held on $500,000 bail.
Tiffany Goldwire, 31, surrendered to authorities on Friday.
She now faces a slew of charges, including endangering the welfare of children, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and involuntary manslaughter.
Jamara Stevens and her siblings were playing with a gun inside Goldwire's home in Mantua on April 5, when Jamara's 2-year-old brother fired the gun, sending a bullet through her arm, chest, and heart. She died at the hospital.
Early reports from investigators indicated that it was a boyfriend of Goldwire's that brought the loaded gun into the home.
Goldwire's attorney, Eugene Tinari maintains that his client is innocent, and that she does not know who the gun belonged to or how it got into the house.
Tinari said that he expects a grand jury investigation of the case. He believes his client will be exonerated for the most serious charge, involuntary manslaughter.
"Ideally we would hope that the involuntary manslaughter charge would not be found by the grand jury or that she would be acquitted by a judge or jury," Tinari said. "I’m confident that she’ll be vindicated on the involuntary manslaughter charge."
In Pennsylvania, a person who is convicted of involuntary manslaughter as the parent of a child under the age of 12 can face up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The first hearing in the case has been set for May 19.
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Police Dept.
