Los Angeles pregnant woman, unborn child die after being brutally shot while sitting inside parked car
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A woman and her unborn child were reportedly killed in a tragic incident that took place on Sunday morning, November 15, in Wilmington. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Arlene Leonor Rodriguez — who was seven-months-pregnant — was sitting in a parked car in Neptune Avenue when she was shot by an unidentified suspect.
The police said, as reported by The Sun, that the 24-year-old woman was inside the parked vehicle while the male companion whose identity is not known was working on the car's engine when the tragedy struck. The suspect reportedly went near the couple around 11:30 am and fired multiple bullets into the vehicle, which hit Rodriguez and her companion. After committing the crime, the alleged killer escaped the scene while both the victims were rushed to a hospital where Rodriguez and her unborn baby were declared dead. Cops said the man did not suffer major injuries. "She was seven months pregnant, and tragically her baby did not survive," LAPD said in a statement.
Rodriguez, who was a mum to a three-year-old boy and two-year-old twin girls, celebrated her birthday days before the crime took place. Her stepmother, Jessica Rodriguez, has started a GoFundMe page asking for financial help for her funeral expenses. The message on the page stated, “My name is Jessica Rodriguez and I am married to Jose Rodriguez. Jose is from Wilmington, California where he shared 2 kids with Anita Gonzales. On Sunday, November 15th, we received the worst news a parent ever wants to hear. My stepdaughter Arlena Rodriguez, age 24, was shot and killed in Wilmington, California. Just 8 days after her 24th birthday. She was 7 months pregnant with a little boy. She is the mother of 3 kids, 1 boy 3 yrs old, and twin girls 2 yrs old. She was preceded in death by her mom Anita in 2005 when she was only 9 yrs old. And then her brother Richard Rodriguez was tragically murdered in 2011 when she was 15. Losing her brother was mentally and emotionally hard for her to overcome. The family is asking for donations or any help to help put Arlena and her baby boy to rest. Any help is much appreciated.”
Police have no description of the suspect, but they have urged people to come forward if they know anything about the incident. People with any lead can contact Detective Coffee or Detective Tiffin at 310-726-7887 or 310-726-7884. Those who do not want to reveal their identity can approach LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Informants can also go directly to www.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit any tip related to the shooting.
In another incident, a pregnant Florida woman was allegedly shot dead by her husband after he thought she was an intruder. The victim, who was six-months-pregnant, was hit by a bullet by the husband on November 4 after he heard a noise outside the bedroom of their house in Stuart, Martin County. Sheriff William Snyder said. “He gave us a pretty in-depth statement, in which he said that he woke up in the middle of the night, thought he heard somebody in the house, went to investigate with a handgun, saw a shape in the hallway and fired one round and unfortunately, it turned out to be his wife,” Snyder added.