Just before 7 p. m. on Memorial Day, Dr. Lauren Patricia Daly, a pediatrician at Nemours Alfred I. DuPont Hospital in Wilmington, Del., allegedly shot her former partner in front of their two children. The shooting reportedly occurred in the driveway of Daly’s Media home after a custody dispute over the couple’s son turned rancorous, then violent.
According to Pennsylvania State Police in Media, Daly’s former partner, 49, whose name is being withheld by police, was bringing the couple’s 9-year-old daughter to Daly’s from her own Wynnewood home. Also with her was the couple’s 11-year-old son.
Daly is the biological mother of the couple’s daughter and the former partner is the biological mother of their son. When the women were partnered, each adopted the other’s biological child. The two have maintained shared custody since their break-up in 2011.
According to police reports, the argument began because Daly wanted to speak to the boy, but her partner said she could not. She said Daly would have to call and make arrangements to talk to him, which is their current agreement. According to police, although they share custody, the boy can decide if he wants to see Daly or not.
As police tell it, the women got into a heated argument. Daly was standing outside her ex’s car, yelling and smacking the front of the car. The couple’s daughter was outside the car, standing to the side of the vehicle. The boy was in the front passenger seat.
According to police, as the argument escalated, Daly pulled a 9mm semi-automatic handgun out of her pocket and fired several times through the windshield.
The boy told police he and his mother ducked down in the seat to avoid being hit, but Daly’s ex was hit three times, in the face and torso.
Neither child was physically injured in the assault.
After the shooting, the victim drove herself to the nearby Riddle Memorial Hospital emergency room, where police were contacted. Police reports noted blood in the front seat of the car.
A spokesperson at Riddle Memorial said the victim had been transferred to Crozer Chester Medical Center. According to police, her injuries were “potentially life-threatening.” The hospital would not release details of her condition, but she was still in the hospital at presstime.
Police went to Daly’s home to arrest her, but did not enter the home. Daly was told to come out by police speaker, and she surrendered without incident. The weapon allegedly used in the attack was found outside the house in the driveway. It is unclear whether or not Daly fired at the other woman as she drove away, but according to police, the boy said he thought his mother had been hit as she drove.
Daly was arrested late Monday night and arraigned Tuesday. Magisterial District Judge Walter Strohl charged Daly with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, two counts of recklessly endangering another person — one count for the ex and one for the boy — endangering the welfare of a child and possessing an instrument of crime.
Daly was remanded to Delaware County prison after she failed to post bond. Her bail was set at $2 million cash bond.
Daly’s specialty at DuPont is emergency pediatric medicine. She also has privileges at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and has an office on 34th Street. The victim is reportedly a nurse at DuPont. The couple previously lived in Chester Springs. Details of the shooting came from the 11-year-old boy, who was interviewed by police on Monday night and delivered a sworn affidavit.
Police did not disclose whether or not there was a history of domestic violence between the women.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Daly on June 4. It will be held at the Lima District Court in Media.
Calls to Daly’s home on Middletown Road were not answered. Anyone with information on the shooting or other information pertinent to this incident is asked to call the Pennsylvania State Police in Media at 484-840-1000.