9-Month Fetus Slain, Woman Miscarries in Separate Cases; 2 Held

Two Pomona men were in jail on suspicion of murder Monday in unrelated cases after an apparently accidental shooting resulted in the death of a near-term fetus in one case and a domestic fight ended in a miscarriage by a woman who was three months pregnant in the other.

Anthony Coleman, 19, was arrested Sunday night after he allegedly shot and seriously wounded a 16-year-old girl, Lillian Kelley, who was nine months pregnant, police said.

In the second case, police arrested Armando Cisneros, 39, on Saturday after he allegedly knocked to the ground the woman with whom he lives and she suffered a miscarriage.

Both men were held without bail on suspicion of murder, pending their arraignments today in Pomona. Police said they believe it was likely that the charges against Cisneros would be reduced, because murder charges can be filed only if it is determined that the fetus would have been capable of surviving outside the womb.

In the incident involving Coleman, Kelley’s near-term fetus was killed when a slug from a .38-caliber revolver pierced her abdomen as she sat in a Pomona apartment that she was visiting, Pomona Police Detective Ed McLean said. Kelley was listed in serious condition at Pomona Valley Community Hospital Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The shooting occurred after Yamil Henderson of Pomona, who was also visiting the apartment, took out the revolver and began playing with it, police said.

“He was cocking the gun, pointing it around, pointing it at himself,” Pomona Police Lt. Chuck Heilman said.

Coleman, who lived in the apartment, apparently was trying to take the gun away from the man when it went off, McLean said.

Could Be Accident

“It conceivably could just be an accident--an unfortunate accident,” Heilman said.

The father of Kelley’s unborn child was present at the time but was not involved in the incident, he said. No charges were filed against Henderson.

Taken to Hospital

Police arrested Cisneros on suspicion of felonious assault after he allegedly knocked down his girlfriend, Maria Barrios, 32, during a fight at their Pomona apartment. Barrios, who was three months pregnant, complained of abdominal pains after the incident and was taken to Pomona Valley Community Hospital, where she miscarried, Heilman said.

Barrios was discharged from the hospital Sunday, a spokeswoman said. After the miscarriage, police filed a murder complaint against Cisneros, Heilman said.

The district attorney’s office had not decided Monday whether to file murder charges against either man. Heilman, noting that the district attorney may not find that Barrios’ fetus was capable of surviving outside the womb, said he doubted that Cisneros would be charged with murder.

“I believe, based on experience, what will happen is that felonious assault charges will be filed, not murder,” he said.