Collegeville boy, 13, charged in shooting death of his sister, 12, Montgomery County, authorities announce
Jah’sir Vasquez was charged as an adult with third-degree murder for the death of Jasiyah Vasquez.
A 13-year-old boy was charged in the fatal shooting of his 12-year-old sister inside their Montgomery County home Friday morning, authorities announced late Friday night.
Jah’sir Vasquez was charged with third-degree murder and related offenses for the death of Jasiyah Vasquez inside a residence on Larchwood Court in the Collegeville area of Upper Providence Township, said District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and township Police Chief Mark A. Toomey in a news release.
“We followed the evidence in this case, which clearly showed that the 13-year-old shot and killed his sister. Despite the child’s age, Pennsylvania law requires that we charge Jah’sir Vasquez in adult criminal court for the shooting death of his sister,” Steele said in a statement.
Steele did not address a motive.
The boy was arraigned before Magisterial District Court Judge Cathleen Kelly Rebar, who denied bail and ordered that he be held at the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center. A preliminary hearing was set for March 26.
According to Steele and Toomey, Upper Providence police responded to a reported shooting at the residence shortly before 8 a.m. and found the girl on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to her chest. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Daisy Vasquez, the children’s mother, allegedly had asked her son to get a 9mm handgun from her car, according to Steele and Toomey. The gun is legally registered to her.
Home surveillance video shows the boy entering the house with the pistol in his right hand and then pointing it at his sister, Steele and Toomey said. The gun discharged and the girl collapsed.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy and ruled the girl’s death a homicide.
Steele and Toomey said the investigation was incomplete and did not say whether the mother would face any charges.