Marissa Perez: Family demands justice after pregnant LA woman, 25, dies in 'targeted' drive-by shooting
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A pregnant LA woman was shot dead in her car while heading to a birthday party with her father.
Marissa Perez, 25, was four months pregnant when she was barbarically shot several times, including once in the head, near the intersection of Pioneer Boulevard and Artesia Boulevard at around 7.30 pm on Thursday, December 29. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was called to the scene after an unidentified driver pulled up next to the passenger side of Perez’s vehicle and began shooting. The pregnant woman was rushed to the local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. The officials have launched an investigation and believe Perez's was a "targeted" killing, according to her mother.
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As investigators continue to search for Perez's killer, her grieving family has come forward to urge the public to share any information that might help in nabbing the shooter. "He doesn't deserve to be walking these streets. He needs to be behind bars for the rest of his life," her mother Sandra Tolentino said in an interview with ABC7.
Marissa Perez’s mother calls for justice for her beloved daughter
The devastated mother held back her tears as she talked to the local media alongside another member of her family, including Marissa’s baby's father, Andrew. "She was 25. She was about to be a mother in five more months. She was so happy," said Tolentino. "She should have never been taken from us that way." "She was super excited. She seemed like a whole new person, I just, I've never seen my sister glow like that," said Marissa's brother, Isaac Tolentino.
Marissa's aunt, April Perez, revealed she had spoken to Marissa just moments before her death. April said she had called her to confirm the details of the party and told her she would arrive no later than 7 pm. However, Andrew later called her to ask if Marissa had made it to the party, which rang alarm bells for her. "Her boyfriend calls me and tells me 'did Marissa make it there yet' and I'm like 'no' and then he hangs up on me," April told KTLA. "She was just an innocent person that didn't deserve to be brutally murdered like that or her baby."
"She still had such a life ahead of her and it kills me that we won't be able to have that next chapter. Don't hold grudges and just love, love so hard because you just never know when will be the last time to say goodbye," Perez’s mother added.
A GoFundMe page was also launched after her death, which has raised more than $28,000 of its $30,000 goal as of January 4. "Marissa was expecting the biggest blessing, a baby in June," a GoFundMe created by her family read. "Nothing has prepared us for this immense feeling of loss and sorrow." Perez was described as "the most loyal, loving, outgoing and strongest person" by friends and family members on the fundraising page.
