Adriana Jimenez, pregnant Canoga Park expectant mom taken off life support after being shot while sitting in car with sister. Suspect, Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia of Gardena, is now expected to face murder charges. California authorities have yet to say what led to the man, known to the family to target his victims.
A 16-week-pregnant expectant mother who was declared brain-dead after being struck by a bullet while sitting in a car with her sister outside their California apartment was taken off life support this weekend.
Adriana Jimenez, 22, a mother to a six-year-old girl was shot out in Canoga Park, California, on August 23.
Adriana and her sister, Maria Fernanda Jimenez, were sitting in a car in an alleyway outside their apartment in the Canoga Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on Aug. 23, just on 8.a.m., when they were both shot by a gunman, the LA Times reported citing police.
Targeted shooting by suspect known to victims’ family
Adriana, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was shot in the head and was declared brain dead shortly after. The shooting led to the expectant mother experiencing a pregnancy loss following her injuries.
Come Sunday, the young woman’s family made the agonizing decision to turn off her life support.
Maria Fernanda suffered two gunshots. One bullet went through her neck, but surprisingly she is expected to be okay. She is still recovering from injuries however, the LA Times reported.
Family members say the shooting was a targeted attack on the the sisters.
The suspect has since been arrested, the uncle said.
Suspect prior criminal history
Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia of Gardena, was described as the ex-boyfriend of one of the cousins of the Jimenez sisters. He also operated a barbershop in South L.A.
‘The suspect is someone who is close to the family. He is known to the family. We don’t understand why he made that decision,’ the sisters’ uncle told KABC.
He also said that the Canoga Park shooting ‘has nothing to do with gangs.’
‘It was so tragic,’ the sisters’ uncle told KABC of the Aug. 23 shooting. ‘I couldn’t believe it.’
Garcia has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, according to the criminal complaint from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors are now expected to up the charges following Adriana’s death.
Investigators have yet to say why Garcia specifically targeted the sisters.
Of note, in 2022, Garcia was charged with battery and vandalism, according to court records, the LA Times reported. Records show that he pleaded not guilty in that incident and that he was later acquitted of the charges in a trial.
Leading up to the fateful shooting, Adriana was set to celebrate her 23rd birthday and do a gender reveal for her second child on Sept. 11.
Victim’s death leads to 6-year-old missing her mother and fundraiser
Adriana’s uncle told KABC that her 6-year-old daughter misses her mom.
‘That’s the hardest part,’ the relative told the outlet, ‘knowing the little girl calls out for her mom and cries for her.’
‘We know that we have to be strong, unite as a family and move past this tragedy,’ he added.
Adriana’s family has created a GoFundMe to raise money to either cremate her body or return her remains to El Salvador, where she and her sister are from.
Related posts:
