A Georgia family is devastated after a pregnant mother of two was shot and killed while she was asleep inside her home.
Shakiya Pridgen, 23, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds after officers responded to a shooting at a residence in Decatur, Georgia, in the early morning hours of Tuesday, June 16, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
Pridgen was rushed to the hospital, but she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.
Later that same day, 26-year-old Devin Anthony was arrested in nearby Riverdale in connection with the killing. He is facing several charges, including murder.
Investigators believe the shots were fired into the home from outside, according to the sheriff’s office.
Pridgen’s family has alleged that Anthony was her ex-boyfriend and the father of her unborn child. They also claimed he knew where Pridgen’s bed was and knew she slept there with her two young children, ages 1 and 3, 11 Alive reported.
Police could not confirm or deny those family claims when contacted by PEOPLE, but authorities said no one else was injured in the shooting.
A GoFundMe has since been created to help support Pridgen’s children.
Her mother, Verdina Scott, told WSB-TV that Pridgen had just moved into her first apartment on her own. She said her daughter wanted to get married, settle down, and build a future for her family.
“She was doing everything a mother is supposed to do,” Scott said. “We are a strong family. We are going to take care of her children and keep her name alive, and see justice for her.”
The tragedy came just after the family had celebrated what should have been a joyful milestone.
Scott said relatives had held a baby shower for Pridgen the weekend before her death. She was only days away from giving birth to a baby boy she planned to name Kyren, according to 11 Alive.
“I want the world to know that somebody took a blessing, a blessing, from all of us, and we will get justice,” Scott told the outlet. “This will not be the last time you hear from us. We will get justice for you, Shakiya, and Kyren.”
Anthony has been charged with malice murder, feticide, two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
It was not immediately clear as of Thursday, June 18, whether he had entered a plea, denied the allegations, or retained an attorney.
He is being held without bond at the DeKalb County Jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
For Pridgen’s family, the grief is unimaginable. A young mother who was preparing to welcome her baby boy was killed inside the place where she should have been safest, leaving behind two small children and a family demanding justice.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. Calls are free and confidential, and help is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
