Haunting surveillance video sees a 13-year-old girl drag a trash can up the driveway of her home, just moments before she was shot in the neck.
Police arrived on the scene to find the teen by the front door bleeding from a gunshot wound, allegedly inflicted by her own mother.
When police asked what had happened, they say the still-loyal daughter attempted to cover for her mom telling them a homeless person had shot her.
The shooting took place in the family home on Monday, close to the Seat Pleasant Police Department in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The teenager’s mother, Talecka Brown, 32, who goes by the name Talecka Crystal on Facebook, was promptly arrested on first-degree attempted murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Despite the girl saying how a homeless person had shot her after breaking in, cops dismissed the tall tale at which point the girl told authorities that her mother had instructed her to flat out lie to police.
Cops looked at surveillance footage and found that nobody else had entered or left the house between the time the girl walked home from school, pulled the trash can up from the curb, walked inside the house and was shot.
The girl said that she and her mother had been arguing when the situation suddenly turned physical.
Just as the teenager was walking down the stairs, she told police how she saw her mother holding a gun which she then fired, sending her hurtling down the staircase.
Police searched the home and found a loaded black Glock handgun.
Charging documents say investigators could also smell the scent of a discharged firearm inside the home.
They also show how Brown couldn’t even get her own story straight as she gave conflicting statements during an interview with police before eventually admitting she was the only one at home with her daughter at the time of the shooting.
When Brown was asked if there was a gun at home she explained how there was one in the safe but that it was not registered and did not belong to her.
‘It is always tragic when we have acts of violence within our community, but it is heart-wrenching when the perpetrator is supposed to be your protector,’ said the Acting Police Chief of Seat Pleasant in a statement.
‘While no one thinks a mother would shoot their very own daughter, no one can conceive of that, these incidents do happen,’ added Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.
‘We know it’s going to take some time for her to recover from her physical injuries, but her emotional injuries – that may last a lifetime,’ Braveboy said.
‘It’s disheartening that too much of this is happening today,’ said neighbor Tina Niblack to Fox 5.
‘Domestic violence in any form, even within your own home, is still domestic violence.’
The girl is now recovering from her injuries in intensive care but it’s likely she will need more surgery as her condition stabilizes and improves. Doctors are happy that she is still able to walk considering where the bullet struck.
Charging state the victim specifically suffered a ‘single defect to the rear portion of her neck at the ‘C-Spine’ region, where a bullet fragment was observed in her shoulder area, and another portion was lodged near her abdomen’.
Earlier in the day, Brown who is now in custody had posted a positive and uplifting message to Facebook.
‘I made dinner plus crabs & jerk shrimp salads. Lai’s best friend stayed the night. I celebrated getting my new job! It was a time. Happy Monday, I hope everyone has a blessed week,’ she wrote.
A friend commented, ‘Glad you had a great day good things come unto those that wait love you all.’
During a court appearance, the prosecution heard how Brown had left a voicemail on the father’s phone attempting to influence their daughter.
Brown said the case would ‘go away’ if their daughter didn’t show up for court, reports NBC News.
According to the victim’s father Brown did not even care to ask how her daughter was doing.
‘Attempted first-degree murder? Come on, you know this isn’t me,’ Brown also said in the voicemail, according to prosecutors.
‘It’s her mother, she’s going listen to her mother. That’s our concern,’ said Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Sowls. ‘We don’t want her to be tainted in any way by the pressure.’
Brown has not yet entered a plea but is due back in court on October 25.