A pregnant California mother has been declared brain-dead after she and her sister were shot while sitting inside a car outside their Los Angeles apartment.
Adriana Jimenez, 22, was 14 weeks pregnant when the shooting happened on Aug. 23 in the Canoga Park neighborhood.
Adriana and her sister, Maria Fernanda Jimenez, were sitting in a car in an alley outside their apartment when a gunman opened fire, according to their family.
Maria Fernanda was shot twice, including once in the neck, but is expected to recover.
Adriana, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was shot in the head and later declared brain-dead, her uncle told KABC.
The tragedy became even more devastating when Adriana lost her unborn child following the shooting.
“Sadly, her baby also died,” her uncle said.
Adriana was already the mother of a 6-year-old daughter.
Her family said the suspected gunman has since been arrested. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the shooting.
According to the family, the suspect was someone they knew.
“The suspect is someone who is close to the family. He is known to the family. We don’t understand why he made that decision,” the sisters’ uncle told KABC.
He also said the shooting was not gang-related.
“It was so tragic,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Before the shooting, Adriana had been preparing to celebrate her 23rd birthday and hold a gender reveal for her second child on Sept. 11.
Her family said her young daughter is struggling with what happened.
“That’s the hardest part,” her uncle said, “knowing the little girl calls out for her mom and cries for her.”
“We know that we have to be strong, unite as a family and move past this tragedy,” he added.
Adriana and her sister are originally from El Salvador.
Her family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover expenses and decide whether to cremate Adriana or return her remains to El Salvador.
The fundraiser described Adriana as “the loving mother of a beautiful 6-year-old daughter who will now have to grow up without her mom.”
“No child should have to experience a loss like this,” the fundraiser added. “Our hearts are shattered knowing the difficult road that lies ahead for her.”
The LAPD has not publicly released additional details about the suspect or the motive behind the shooting.
