Pregnant woman gives birth after being shot in South El Monte

ByRobert Holguin and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Pregnant woman gives birth after being shot in South El Monte
A pregnant woman gave birth after being shot several times in South El Monte Tuesday night. A search is underway for the shooter.

SOUTH EL MONTE, Calif. (KABC) -- A pregnant woman gave birth after being shot several times in South El Monte Tuesday night.

Deputies say the 26-year-old victim, who was seven months pregnant, was in the driveway of a home in the 1900 block of Merced Avenue around 10 p.m. when the shooter fired multiple rounds at her.

According to detectives, the suspect, or suspects, fled in a dark-colored sedan, possibly a Nissan Maxima. The victim was taken to the hospital, where her baby was successfully delivered by C-section.

Deputies say the baby is in stable condition. The mother is recovering and listed in critical but stable condition.

Investigators say they still don't know if the shooting was random, but neighbors say they believe the victim may have been targeted.

"It can't be a drive-by shooting, not in this neighborhood. They don't have drugs or whatever going on in this neighborhood," said witness Tien Chan. "They might know each other or something, because they don't just come up here and shoot anybody. They come up here and shoot this lady, and she's pregnant."

A description of the suspect was not immediately available.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this incident was asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Temple Station at (626) 285-7171.