Man, pregnant woman slain, newborn in critical condition

BALTIMORE (AP) — A pregnant woman and a man were fatally shot Thursday night in a car in East Baltimore and her baby was delivered before she died. That baby is now in critical condition, police said.

“We cannot have folks shooting at pregnant women in our city,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “A baby is being brought into the world after their mother is shot and is on life support. If that doesn’t change your mind about what is happening in your community or check the people around you, I don’t know what will.”

Thursday night’s shooting comes amid a particularly violent stretch in the city. There have been 13 homicides and 27 non-fatal shootings so far this month, according to police spokesperson Chakia Fennoy. As of Friday morning, police reported 125 homicides so far in 2022, compared to 114 at the same point last year.

Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the man was in the driver’s seat and the woman was a passenger when another car pulled up next to them as they parked on East 23rd Street around 8 p.m., news outlets reported. The driver of the other car got out and fired while someone else fired from the passenger window, he said.

“This was a very, very violent and brazen assault on two individuals, three individuals rather, in this block tonight,” Harrison said at a news conference Thursday night. “And once again, we’re standing here talking about the brazenness, the cowardice, the deliberate attempt to harm and kill individuals with gun violence.”

The man and 38-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds were taken to a hospital, where the man was immediately pronounced dead and the baby was delivered a short time before the mother died, police said. The newborn was in critical condition due to the emergency delivery, not because of a shooting injury, Harrison said.