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Investigators say a 31-year-old Alisha Canty died in the shooting at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday in the 7300 block of Theodore Street.
Police say Canty was parked in a Honda with her 5-year-old daughter, Halima, who was in the back seat.
"The last time I saw my mom was yesterday morning, and she said she'd see me back home," said her 10-year-old daughter, Ayana.
The Delaware woman was in the car with her 20-year-old ex-boyfriend, who is the father of her 18-month-old twins.
Police say the ex-boyfriend may have been the target.
"She's in the driver's seat, the child is in the back seat and we think he got into the front seat and that's when two gunmen show up on each side of the car and start firing," Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker said.
Police say the boyfriend jumped out of the car and ran.
Lt. Walker said Canty had no other choice but to reverse the car, hitting one of the gunman who then turned his gun on the car. The vehicle then slammed into another house.The gunfire continued until 30 shots total were fired. Canty took a fatal shot to the chest.
"I get a phone call saying she's gone," said her mother, Deborah Canty. "She didn't deserve that. She was a hard worker, she loved her kids."
Five-year-old Halima suffered a graze wound to the head and was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she was treated and released.
The ex-boyfriend, who has not been named by police, was not struck and was taken in for questioning at police headquarters.
Saeedah Harrison, the grandmother of the ex-boyfriend, says she doesn't know why he was targeted but she has words for the killers.
"The same words I would give anybody who would kill anybody - God will get you," Harrison said.
The Canty family said Alisha was trying to help her ex-boyfriend turn his life around. The family also holds him responsible for her death.
"When you're in the drug game like that you know this one day possibly might happen," said Alisha's brother, Elwood Canty.
Investigators worked throughout the evening on the street collecting evidence and talking with witnesses.
They also found a small bag of heroin outside Canty's car, but at this point they don't know who it belongs to.
Police say they are checking surveillance video from nearby cameras to see if it captured the two gunmen.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS, text a tip to PPDTIP (773847) or through phillypolice.com.
