Yesterday, the woman was charged with attempted murder, police said. Best has also been charged with attempted murder and related offenses.
Ebony, a third grader at Edward Heston School at 54th Street and Lancaster Avenue, remained in critical condition yesterday at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Ebony's uncle, Frank Smith, 36, who lives with his niece and her family a half-block from where the shooting occurred, said she was improving.
"She just came out of surgery. They removed a blood clot," said Smith, standing at the front door of a house on the 1600 block of Wilton Street yesterday afternoon. "She seems like she is doing a little better. She's still critical. It's still like a wait, 50-50," he said.
Ebony is surrounded by family and friends as she fights for her life, Smith said.
"Man, I'm still devastated. You never can prepare for something like this," he said.
Then he hesitated, sucking in his breath.
"We're all praying," he said. "It's all we can do right now."
Best, whose last known address was the 2900 block of North 26th Street, was arrested Monday at a motel in Bensalem. His mother said he called her collect from jail.
"He said, 'Mama, I had promised you I would never put you through this again,' " said the 59-year-old North Philadelphia woman, who asked that she not be named.
She reported that her son said: "I don't know what happened. I just somehow lost it."
She said he did not specifically say he fired the gun. She withheld judgment of her son, but, she added, "I'm not saying he didn't."
Cynthia Powell, 36, described by police as Best's wife and by Best's mother as his fiancee, was charged yesterday with attempted murder. Powell, of the 2900 block of Stillman Street, allegedly drove the car, a 1999 Chrysler Concord, police said.
