PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A judge has upheld all charges for the woman whose two-year-old granddaughter was fatally shot by her cousin with an unsecured gun inside her Brewerytown home this summer.
A sheriff escorted 53-year-old Twanda Harmon into the courtroom as the woman, using a medical walker, slowly took her seat in front of the judge.
Family members who were in the courtroom cried as officials testified that on July 27, they found Harmon’s 14-year-old grandson, who has Down syndrome, outside crying saying, “Sorry,” as they arrived at the scene.
The prosecutor called it “criminal negligence,” saying Harmon had a loaded gun she was not licensed to carry and never kept safe in her home near North 26th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue where she lived with her large family, including five grandchildren.
They say the gun was in an unlocked nightstand on the second floor when the 14-year-old got a hold of it and it went off, fatally striking the baby.
Harmon’s attorney says both of the children’s mothers were inside the home at the time. She also pointed to the grandmother’s health issues, stating that she had limited mobility to move throughout the property and that she wasn’t receiving social security or the care she needed due to an insurance glitch.
Judge Christine Hope sided with prosecutors and upheld Harmon on charges of involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, and recklessly endangering another person.
Bail was kept at $250,000.
According to data obtained by Everytown Research, an estimated 4.6 million children in the U.S. live in a home with an unsecured firearm. They say a survey revealed that more than half of teens who live in a house with a loaded gun can access it in less than an hour, with most saying they could access it in less than five minutes.
There are multiple ways to get free gun locks in Philadelphia, including by request from the Sheriff's Office or Temple University’s Safety Net program, no questions asked.
Editor’s update, July 3, 2024
On May 10, 2024, Judge Barbara McDermott sentenced Twanda Harmon to nine to 23 months with time served after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Harmon was released from prison shortly after.