Unborn Baby Survives Drive-By Shooting That Killed 19-Year-Old Mother

A drive-by shooting on Saturday morning in Tucson, Arizona left a pregnant 19-year-old woman dead and her unborn child fighting for his life after doctors delivered him.

Jasmine Vega was six months pregnant when she was murdered while asleep in her home. Others inside of the house were woken up by Vega’s screams, but no one else in the home was injured, and the authorities were contacted. The Tucson police and fire crew arrived on the scene around 4:30 a.m. and found Vega unresponsive, with multiple gunshot wounds.

Though she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, doctors were able to deliver and save her baby. The Tucson Police Department said that the child is currently receiving treatment, but the baby boy’s father, Anthony Rivera, says he’s in critical condition and on life support.

It’s unclear if she was a target or if it was a random shooting, and there are no suspects currently in custody for the drive-by and murder. Vega’s relatives were in the house with her at the time of the shooting and while none of them were hurt, it’s still a possibility that one of them could have been the intended target. Officers still have little information on the situation, though they do know that the gunshots came from outside the house and said that they found “several projectile holes” in the walls of the residence. The police department’s gang unit will be continuing the investigation.

While the officials are still working to uncover what exactly happened early Saturday morning and why, local KVOA reporters spoke with a neighbor to learn more about what the neighborhood is thinking about this whole situation.

“Just hold your kids tight and love them cause you never when’s going to be their day,” neighbor Luis Longoria said. “I’m thinking about Christmas, gifts, spending it with loved ones. To find out it can be taken away in your sleep, wow, I’m at a loss for words.”

With Christmas only one day away, there’s no news yet on whether or not the prematurely-born baby boy will have improved enough by the holiday to be able to go home to his father, Rivera.