A gunman opened fire on a Philly street early Wednesday morning leaving a pregnant mom and her unborn child dead and her boyfriend in critical condition. As the investigation into the shooting continues, both police sources and the woman's mother believe the boyfriend was targeted because of an earlier fatal shooting and robbery he may have been involved in.
Authorities said they found 25-year-old Jasmine Williams and 26-year-old Kord Rosier beside a running Chevy Impala near the intersection of Nedro Avenue and North 20th Street in the West Oak Lane section of the city around 1:30 a.m.
Williams -- who was eight months pregnant -- was shot in the head, arm and legs, while Rosier was hit in the back and one leg around 12:45 a.m., according to police.
The two were rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center where Williams was pronounced dead at 1:03 a.m. Doctors performed an emergency delivery of her child, but the baby girl did not survive. The infant was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m, according to officials.
"They just took an innocent life," said Williams' mother Monique Williams-Morris while in tears. "She had nothing to do with whatever was going on."
Rosier, who is the father of William's unborn child as well as her six-year-old son, remains in critical condition at Albert Einstein and is expected to survive. He also spoke to detectives about the shooting, according to reports.
Police sources told NBC10 Rosier may have been involved in a shooting death and robbery that occurred on North Broad Street Tuesday near a local Popeye's restaurant. They also believe the Nedro Avenue shooting was in retaliation to that incident. Williams-Morris told NBC10 Rosier planned on turning himself in to police in connection to the North Broad Street shooting. She also claimed her daughter's death was in retaliation.
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"They were after him and she happened to be there with him," Williams-Morris said. "Or he dragged her with him. And they took her. They took her. They took my baby. They took her life."
Despite the statements from police sources and Williams-Morris, no charges have been filed against Rosier. After viewing our report, Rosier's sister reached out to NBC10, claiming her brother didn't shoot, kill or rob anyone. She did admit however that he was involved in a fight on Tuesday. She claimed he called his probation officer and tried to clear his name before he and Williams were shot.
Police said they believe Williams and Rosier were inside the Impala during the shooting and investigators recovered 11 shell casings from the scene. Residents in West Oak Lane said they heard over a dozen shots during the incident. Another witness said he heard an argument prior to the shooting.
Detectives are interviewing witnesses and working to obtain surveillance footage from the area.
A $40,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Williams is the second pregnant woman to be killed in Philadelphia in September.
Megan Doto, 25, was killed when she was shot in the face while sitting outside a home on the 1500 block of Adams Avenue Sept. 14. Eight months pregnant, the victim was rushed to a local hospital, where an emergency delivery was performed. Neither the baby, nor Doto survived.
Police named 27-year-old Devon Guisherd a suspect in that crime, but he has yet to be arrested.
