Father shot 4-year-old daughter in Philadelphia home, police say

A father confessed to shooting and killing his 4-year-old daughter inside their Philadelphia home on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The girl’s father, who has not been named, was allegedly playing with a gun when it fired, striking the girl in the face, CBS Philly reported. The girl died inside the house.

The man fled after the shooting, but he was later taken into custody.

Police originally believed the girl’s 5-year-old brother shot his sister, using the man’s weapon. A gun was recovered inside the house.

Neighbors told Philly.com that the girl’s mother, Tera Riddick, rarely let her daughter play outside.

“She would say, ‘No, I’m not bringing these kids out with this trouble,’” Louise Sawyer said.

Family friend Crystal Dougherty described the young girl as a “great big sister to her little brother.”

“She was very smart,” Dougherty told CBS Philly. “At 4 years old, she knows her alphabet, her colors.”