A baby died after a pregnant North Carolina woman was shot in the stomach amid gunfire that also injured another woman, local police said.
Both women were transported to a nearby hospital with serious injuries where the pregnant woman, who was "in the late term of her pregnancy," underwent an emergency cesarean section. The baby didn't survive, Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) said in a statement on Monday.
FPD is now investigating the shooting as a homicide and is searching for the assailant, according to the statement.
Newsweek reached out via email and Facebook on Monday to FPD for comment.
At roughly 5:15 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a report of a woman who had been shot in the stomach in the area of Gillespie and Trade streets, FPD said.
When officers arrived at a home on Powell Street, they found two women suffering from gunshot wounds. The victims were taken to the hospital for treatment, with the pregnant woman in critical condition and the other in stable condition. Police said the pregnant woman suffered a gunshot wound to her stomach but did not provide information on where the second woman was struck.
The late-term pregnant woman was quickly induced via emergency C-section, but "the baby later died," FPD said in an update on the case shared to Facebook on Monday. It was unclear at the time of publication when the newborn's life ended.
The autopsy determined the baby's death was caused by injuries sustained during the shooting, FPD said, adding that the mother remains hospitalized and was in stable but critical condition as of Monday. While police said the second victim is also still in the hospital, they did not provide further updates on her condition.
Additional details about the victims, including the relationship of the two women, were not released at the time of publication.
The shooting investigation is now being handled by the FPD's Homicide Unit. Anyone with information is asked to contact FPD at 910-705-6527. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).
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