What to Know
- Damyrra Jones is now charged with three counts of murder.
- Police said the mother shot and killed her 10-month-old and 4-year-old daughters as well as her husband inside their Northeast Philly home.
- Jones remained in critical condition after police said she shot herself. They also said she had just purchased the gun on Monday.
Correction (Oct. 16, 2019, 12:17 p.m.): Philadelphia police have now identified the suspected shooter as Damyrra Jones.
A woman accused of killing her two young daughters as well as her husband before shooting herself inside their Northeast Philadelphia home is now charged with three counts of murder.
Police officially charged 28-year-old Damyrra Jones with three counts of murder and related charges as she was being treated at Aria-Jefferson Health's Torresdale Hospital Tuesday.
The woman allegedly shot her husband, 38-year-old Max Alcindor, as well as her 10-month-old daughter Damaya and her 4-year-old daughter Maxilla, inside their home on the 6300 block of Hegerman Street in the city's Tacony neighborhood Monday night. Jones then turned the gun on herself, police said.
Max Alcindor died at the scene while the two girls were later pronounced dead at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
Jones, who was found outside the home lying on top of a gun, remained hospitalized in critical condition.
The woman, who neighbors say worked as a school bus driver, was held as a prisoner while receiving treatment, police said. She had just purchased the handgun used in the shooting on Monday, investigators said.
Local
Her sister, who asked not to be named, told NBC10's Steven Fisher that Jones, who used the Alcindor name, was married to Max Alcindor and that he recently left her.
Police responded to the house around 9:50 p.m. after a neighbor called 911 to report the sound of gunfire coming from the home. Police found what Acting Philadelphia Police Commissioner Christine Coulter called a "horrific" scene.
"Officers were actually crying at the scene," Coulter said.
Officers who responded to the scene were in contact with internal police assistance programming, Coulter said.
Coulter said that police had not previously been called to the home.
Toys and a pink bike could be seen in front of the home. The thought of the little children never playing with those toys again nearly brought neighbor Mary Munizza, whose grandchildren played with Maxilla, to tears.
"She was a very happy little girl, always skipping, playing and smiling," Munizza said of Maxilla. "... Just a very beautiful little girl."
It is unclear if Jones has an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or 800-787-3224 (TTY) provides people in distress, or those around them, with 24-hour support.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: If you are in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting 'Home' to 741741.
