CALIFORNIA — A 22-year-old mother who was 16 weeks pregnant was sitting in a car with her sister when a gunman allegedly walked up and opened fire, leaving the young mother with a devastating gunshot wound to the head.
Adriana Jimenez had been on life support since the Aug. 23 shooting. Her family says she was declared brain-dead and was taken off life support Friday.
The tragedy has left her family struggling to understand how a young mother with a 6-year-old daughter and another baby on the way could suddenly be gone.
“We feel devastated,” Leonardo Ayala, Jimenez’s uncle, said.
“We still can’t believe that this happened,” Ayala said. “We don’t want to accept that [Adriana] is not going to be with us.”
Jimenez’s family had been looking forward to celebrating another milestone in her pregnancy. Her birthday was approaching on Sept. 11, and that was also the day they planned to hold a gender-reveal celebration for her unborn baby.
Gunman Allegedly Walked Up to the Car and Opened Fire
According to police, Jimenez was behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry when the shooting happened. The sisters had finished working as cooks at a Thai restaurant at around 2 a.m. They later went out with two cousins and Jimenez’s boyfriend, who was the father of her unborn child.
When they returned to their apartment around 8 a.m., Jimenez pulled into an alley and waited for another car to be moved so they could park.
That was when the gunman allegedly approached the vehicle and opened fire. Jimenez suffered a devastating gunshot wound to the head, according to a GoFundMe created by her family.
Police say the suspect also attempted to shoot Jimenez’s boyfriend during the incident. Authorities later identified the suspect as 30-year-old Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia. He was arrested two days after the shooting.
Jimenez’s Sister Survived a Gunshot to the Throat
Jimenez’s sister was also struck by a bullet during the attack. The bullet hit her throat but narrowly missed her vocal cords and jugular vein.
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“The doctor said had it been just a few centimeters back, the bullet would have taken her life,” Ayala told the newspaper.
While Jimenez’s sister survived, her family was left facing an unimaginable loss. Jimenez’s unborn baby also died, according to her uncle.
The young mother was already raising a 6-year-old daughter, making the loss especially painful for her family.
Family Faces Heartbreaking Loss Before Gender Reveal
The planned gender reveal has become a painful reminder of what the family has lost.
“Her birthday is on Sept. 11,” Ayala told a local news outlet. “That day they were going to do the gender reveal for her baby,” he said. “Sadly, her baby also died.”
Jimenez’s 6-year-old daughter is now facing the loss of her mother.
Describing the little girl, Ayala said, “That’s the hardest part, knowing the little girl calls out for her mom and cries for her.”
The family says they are struggling to accept that Jimenez will not return home.
Suspect Faces Charges as Investigation Continues
Garcia is facing three counts of attempted murder, along with special allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm.
Prosecutors have indicated that they expect to upgrade the charges following Jimenez’s death after she was taken off life support.
The motive behind the shooting has not been released. Ayala said his family is still searching for answers about why the attack happened.
“I still want to know why he did what he did,” Ayala told the Times.
As the investigation continues, Jimenez’s family is left mourning a young mother, daughter, sister and expectant parent whose life was cut short just weeks before her family had planned to celebrate the arrival of another child.
What do you think about this heartbreaking case? Share your thoughts in the comments and keep Adriana Jimenez’s family in your thoughts during this difficult time.