Montco Mom Charged In Connection With Daughter's Shooting Death

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — A Montgomery County mother has been charged after her 13-year-old son shot and killed her 12-year-old daughter inside their home earlier this month.

Daisy Vazquez, 31, of Collegeville, faces endangering welfare of children charges and related counts in connection with the incident, during which police said asked her son to retrieve the loaded weapon.

Her son, 13-year-old Jah'sir had previously expressed anxiety about handling the firearm, according to authorities. He's been charged with third-degree murder and will be tried in adult criminal court for the death of his sister, Jasiyah.

RELATED: New Details As Brother, 13, Charged In Montco Girl's Death

“The death of this girl is a tragedy, but it could have been prevented," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said on Monday. "A pivotal aspect is the mother asking her child to go outside to the driveway to retrieve her handgun from the car—a handgun that had a bullet chambered and ready to shoot."

It remains unclear why Daisy Vazquez asked her child to get her loaded weapon. She faces additional charges related to lying to detectives, as she initially told investigators that it had been her, not Jah'sir, who had accidentally fired the weapon and killed Jasiyah.

"A parent has a legal responsibility to protect their children, and a handgun owner has a legal responsibility to keep their guns out of the hands of children," Steele added. "This defendant failed on both counts. Now a young girl is dead, and a boy is facing murder charges.”

Other charges against the mother include possession of a firearm by a minor-responsibility of adult, and hindering apprehension or prosecution. Jah'sir, however, faces the much more serious count, and he remains in Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center.

Security footage shows that Jah'sir, re-entering the home, fired a single shot and hit Jasiyah, police said. Jah'sir said it was an accident, and that he did not point the gun at his sister, according to the criminal complaint. He later said he may have pointed the gun, as security footage shows him doing, but that he did not have a clear memory of those moments, police said.

The charges come just a day after Jah'sir's preliminary hearing, and Jaysiah's funeral and celebration of life in Philadelphia. A GoFundMe campaign to support burial costs and Jah'sir's legal defenses has raised nearly $8,000, as of Monday.

"This little girl deserves a proper burial, and the little boy deserves a fair trial," organizers said. "Please find it in your heart to do what you can."

Bail for Daisy Vazquez was set at $50,000 and she was released, on the condition that she not handle a firearm. Her preliminary hearing is set for April 27.