Pregnant Woman Critically Injured in Gunfight, Suspect Is Slain

A pregnant woman was shot and critically wounded Sunday night when she apparently was caught in the middle of a gunfight on a street in South Los Angeles, police said.

The woman was shot near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Normandie Avenue about 6:15 p.m. Because several cars were struck with bullets, police believe the woman was caught in the middle of a street gun battle.

“As it looks right now, probably wrong place, wrong time,” said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Lee Sands.

A man believed to have been involved in the woman’s shooting was later shot and killed after opening fire at officers, Sands said.

Officers found the man, whom they considered a suspect, at a nearby bus stop and attempted to detain him, Sands said. The man started shooting at the officers, who returned fire, killing him, Sands said.

The pregnant woman, believed to be in her late 20s, was in extremely critical condition at California Hospital Medical Center. She was believed to be brain dead, Sands said.

Police were trying to locate a second suspect in the woman’s shooting, Sands said.