Dominique Billips arrested and accused of shooting a 7-month-old boy in Philadelphia’s Holmesburg neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Authorities have identified the suspect arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday night for the shooting death of a seven-month-old boy.

Police have arrested 28-year-old Dominique Billips for allegedly shooting the young child in the 4000 block of Meridian Street in the Holmesburg neighborhood.

A disturbing video obtained by Action News shows the gunman approaching a baby and his parents outside a house and opening fire on them.

“You knew they had a stroller. What makes you walk up to someone with a stroller and shoot them?” asked Philadelphia police Lt. Denis Rosenbaum.

According to police, the baby was hit in the leg by one of the bullets. However, when officers arrived at the scene, the parents were nowhere to be found.

“The mother and father, who had initially gone to the hospital, left the scene out of fear of the police because there were arrest warrants against them,” Rosenbaum explained.

Officers were later able to bring the parents in for questioning and learned of an argument that had occurred in the 7900 block of Frankford Avenue prior to the shooting.

There, the police said, they were able to get a better picture of the suspect with the help of surveillance videos from the store.

According to police, the argument appears to be over a $100 drug debt.

“One of the detectives from another unit had recognized one of the women involved from another shooting in which she was the victim in 2022. It happened in August 2022 in the 4200 block of Rhawn Street,” Rosenbaum explained.

Philadelphia police said they received a tip with the name of the perpetrator, which also matched the name of the shooting victim, who investigators believed to be him.

The Highway Patrol was able to assist police in locating the vehicle, which was also seen on surveillance video and was proven to have been used by Billips.

Police found the vehicle in the 5900 block of Loretto Street, where they stopped a woman and reportedly learned that Billip was at a home in the 1300 block of Van Kirk.

“The suspect was asked to come out. She did so and turned herself in to highway patrol officers. She was taken into custody without incident,” Rosenbaum said.

According to police, preparations were being made for the baby to be released from CHOP to the family.

Police said previous arrest warrants against the parents were non-violent.

“It’s sad, she points the gun at the baby’s mother, who is also a minor, and shoots. Luckily, she misses. A seven-month-old baby may not remember it, but that story will always be there,” Rosenbaum explained.