A 32-year-old Maryland woman is facing charges of attempted murder after allegedly shooting her 13-year-old daughter in the neck at their Seat Pleasant home last week. Talecka Brown was arrested Monday after the girl was found near the front door with a gunshot wound. Prosecutors said Brown coerced her daughter to lie to police, instructing her to say someone else was responsible for the shooting. Surveillance footage from the home, however, revealed no one else entering or leaving the residence, raising suspicions about Brown’s involvement.

The teenager remains in intensive care with serious injuries, and doctors are concerned about potential paralysis. Prosecutors have raised alarms over Brown’s continued influence over the girl, with Assistant Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Ashley Sowls arguing that Brown could pressure her daughter into silence. “We don’t want her to be tainted in any way by the pressure,” Sowls said in court. Brown, who allegedly told the girl’s father that the case would be dropped if their daughter did not appear in court, was denied bail Wednesday.

The incident reportedly began with a physical altercation between Brown and her daughter, who had just returned home from school. The girl later told investigators she noticed her mother holding a gun and, moments later, heard a shot before collapsing. Acting Police Chief Cedric Heyward expressed sorrow over the case, stating, “It is heart-wrenching when the perpetrator is supposed to be your protector.” The investigation is ongoing, and authorities continue to monitor the young girl’s condition.