Pregnant Woman Brain-Dead, Unborn Baby Killed In Canoga Park Shooting, Family Says

CANOGA PARK, CA — One of two sisters shot inside a vehicle in a Canoga Park alley has been declared brain-dead and her unborn baby has also died, according to her uncle, who added that a person known to the family has been arrested in the attack.

"The case has nothing to do with gangs. 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 uncle told ABC7.

Officers responded to a shooting call around 7:50 a.m. on Aug. 23 in the 8300 block of Northgate Avenue, north of Roscoe Boulevard and east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The victims, 22-year-old Adriana Jimenez Duarte and 26-year-old Maria Fernanda Jimenez, were inside a vehicle in an alley when a 26-year-old man approached, pulled out a handgun and opened fire, striking both women, police said.

The sisters were taken to a hospital, where Duarte was listed in critical condition, and Jimenez was reportedly in stable condition.

According to a GoFundMe page started by the family, "Due to the severity of (Adriana's) injuries, doctors have given us the heartbreaking news that there is nothing more they can do to save her. Adding to this unimaginable loss, Adriana was 14 weeks pregnant, and tragically, her unborn baby will not survive either.

"Adriana is also the loving mother of a beautiful 6-year-old daughter who will now have to grow up without her mom."

The suspect fled on foot before officers arrived.

Citing information from the victims' family, ABC7 reported Thursday that the suspect was eventually taken into custody, with the uncle, who did not wish to be identified, claiming it was a person close to the family.

The LAPD would not confirm those details when reached by City News Service on Thursday evening.

City News Service