A mother and her 2-year-old daughter were shot by a flurry of stray bullets in Olney

A 30-year-old mother is in critical condition and her 2-year-old daughter has a broken leg after they were struck by a flurry of stray bullets fired down their block Wednesday evening in the Olney section of Philadelphia.

The woman and her daughter were on the porch area of their home on the 100 block of East Albanus Street around 8 p.m. when two men hopped out of a dark-colored car and started shooting down the block, police said. It’s unclear whom the men were firing at because video recovered from the scene is grainy and unclear, said Capt. James Kearney, head of the Police Department’s nonfatal shooting unit.

The woman was shot multiple times, including once in the head, Kearney said, and she remained in critical condition at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Her daughter was shot in the legs, and a bullet broke her right femur, Kearney said. The child was in stable condition at Einstein.

Kearney said they were either caught in the cross fire or were behind the shooters’ intended targets and struck by multiple stray bullets. He said investigators believe someone returned fire at the shooters, though it’s unclear who or how many times they shot back. More than 30 shell casings were recovered at the scene.

When police responded, Kearney said, multiple people were at the scene armed with guns, all of them registered to carry. Kearney said they were taken into custody and questioned by police, but later released. The investigation remains active, he said, and it’s unclear what led to the shooting. No arrests have been made.

Residents on the block remained unsettled Thursday morning, and evidence of the shooting was fresh. Blood was spattered across the sidewalk and pooled on the steps of one rowhouse. A knock on the door drew no answer, and a neighbor said the family wasn’t home.

So far this year, 13 children age 12 or younger have been injured in shootings, and at least six of them were struck by stray bullets, while the others were shot accidentally, often by other children mishandling unattended guns, according to an Inquirer analysis. More than 90 kids under the age of 18 have been shot, and 18 have died.

As of Wednesday night, 190 people have died in homicides in the city this year, a 17% drop from last year, but still almost double the number recorded in 2015.

Neighbors along Albanus Street largely declined to comment Thursday morning. Some seemed angry about what happened but afraid to share any details.

“Absolutely not,” one woman said before going into her home and shutting the door.

Jahmail Davis, 34, who was born and raised on the block, said violence isn’t common.

“It used to be nice,” he said. “It’s good people and neighbors here.

“This is where I came from and grew up, and this is not what we expect,” said Davis. “It feels like it’s not real, but it is, and we don’t want it this way.”

As he spoke, his grandmother, seated on the porch, watched him with concern.

“Don’t talk about nothing,” she told him. “They’re going to come back and get us.”

Davis assured her that he wasn’t giving any specific information about the shooting, only speaking of how the violence was affecting their lives.

“The shooters don’t care,” his grandmother said.

Then she stood up and walked inside, shaking her head along the way.