[Video] Father Tried Blaming Five Year Old Daughter For Accidentally Killing His Four Year Old Daughter

A Philadelphia man who was charged with shooting and killing his four-year-old daughter this weekend allegedly tried to put the blame for the murder on another child, police say.

Maurice “Stephon” Phillips, 30, has been charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter by the police. He was charged for the shooting of four4-year-old Tahirah Phillips on Saturday afternoon in the city’s Kensington neighborhood, NJ reported.

“Phillips entered a room in the family’s home where his 4-year-old daughter and six of her siblings were watching television and started “carelessly and recklessly waving and pointing the gun around in the room, Philadelphia Police Homicide Capt. James Clark told reporters at a news conference on Monday”

The gun went off, striking the girl in the back of her head, “killing her instantly,” Clark added.

Maurice “Stephon” Phillips Confesses to Accidentally Killing Daughter, 4, After Initially… https://t.co/bxlZ4kS4Mo pic.twitter.com/3CQlEfBA50

— UJReview (@UJReview) April 17, 2016

Phillips was home with his seven children Saturday afternoon, watching TV and playing in his bedroom, when the shooting occurred, Philadelphia police said.

After the shot was fired, Tahirah Phillips fell to the floor with a bullet wound to her head, police said.

The other children got afraid and began yelling, investigators said. Phillips got off the bed where he was sitting and struck his five-year-old daughter “with a closed fist” and then “wiped the blood from his hand onto her shirt” in an attempt to shift blame.

“He went as far as to punish the 5-year-old to show how much he felt that she did this,” Clark said.

Five of the seven children, including the victim and the daughter originally blamed, are Phillips’ biological children, Clark said.

Police initially believed the girl’s sister fired the gun at her.

Phillips turned himself in and eventually told the police that the five-year-old was not involved on Sunday.

“After an investigation, (Phillips) admitted to accidentally shooting the victim, and stated that the sibling had nothing to do with it,” Sgt. Eric Gripp told CNN affiliate KYW on Sunday.

The charges against Philips are involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, and related charges, according to Cameron Kline, spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. He is being held without bail, CNN reported.

According to Chicago Tribune , Attorney Dan Stevenson, of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said the organization was handling the case but would have no immediate comment.

Police acknowledge that it was an accident from the father but do condemn his negligence.

“We don’t believe that he intended that to happen but because of his grossly negligent acts, this is ultimately what happened,” Clark said

Chicagotribune also reported that, immediately after the incident, Phillips called his fiancee. When she arrived on the scene, he changed his clothes and fled. Several hours later, he turned himself in to police.

After homicide investigators “broke down his story,” Phillips confessed he had accidentally shot the girl, Clark said.

Police have not been able to identify girl’s mother yet.

Relatives have expressed their grief over the loss of Tahirah Phillips.

“She was a sweet, loving little girl,” Catherine Dougherty, godmother of one of Tahirah’s siblings, told KYW. “She was full of life, she was always willing to help, she was a great big sister to her little brother

Daily Mail reported that the girl’s mother was known for not letting her children play outside because of crime and drugs in the neighborhood.

Maurice Philips proudly showed off his gun in his Facebook profile last month. It was a semiautomatic pistol, the same kind of gun recovered from the scene.

It was unclear Monday if Phillips has legal representation. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 4 for a preliminary hearing, CNN reported.

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