A 15-year-old girl from Crum Lynne is facing murder and firearms charges after police say she fatally shot her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend inside his Montgomery County home.
Officers responded to a shooting around 5 p.m. Monday at a residence along Old York Road in Abington Township. When they arrived, they found 17-year-old Baseem Baker lying on a bedroom floor with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, Baker’s mother told investigators she had left her son and the suspect, identified as Precious Hamilton, alone in the apartment earlier that afternoon to run errands. Hamilton had been staying with them since the previous Friday.
When Baker’s mother returned home around 4:30 p.m., she found the door unlocked and discovered her son unresponsive. Surveillance footage obtained by investigators reportedly showed Hamilton leaving the apartment building just before 3:30 p.m., about an hour before the body was found.
When questioned by police, Hamilton said the shooting was accidental. She told investigators she “accidentally shot Baker while grabbing the weapon in a rapid fashion,” according to 6ABC. Police said the firearm had been left in a cocked position and discharged when Hamilton grabbed it.
Authorities also recovered a photograph of Hamilton holding a gun from Baker’s iPad. Investigators said Hamilton admitted to stealing the weapon from an acquaintance two months earlier. The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has charged Hamilton with third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a minor, and carrying a firearm without a license.
She is currently being held at the Montgomery County Youth Center, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Police have not released further details about how Hamilton obtained the firearm or whether any adults might face charges related to the gun’s possession. The investigation remains ongoing.
Neighbors in the quiet Abington Township community expressed shock over the tragedy, describing both teens as “close” and “often together.” Baker’s school district released a brief statement expressing condolences to the family, saying grief counselors would be made available to students affected by the loss.
Authorities have not commented on a possible motive beyond Hamilton’s claim that the shooting was unintentional. A preliminary hearing is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks as prosecutors continue to review forensic evidence and digital records tied to the case.