A pregnant woman was wounded by a stray bullet while riding a bus in Holyoke, Massachusetts. According to local authorities, the seriously injured passenger gave birth, but her baby could not be saved. According to media reports, two people who got into a fight and then opened fire will be charged with murder.
On Wednesday afternoon, Holyoke police received a report that three men were involved in a fight that led to an exchange of gunfire. A stray bullet hit a pregnant bus passenger, who was taken to hospital in critical condition. There, she gave birth to a baby who died despite medical attention, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office said in a statement shared on social media on Thursday.
Citing the prosecutor’s office, CNN reported that it is “expected” that 22-year-old Alejandro Ramos will be charged with murder. The second suspect, 30-year-old Johnluis Sanchez, is still in hospital and will be formally arraigned on murder charges “when his condition allows it.” The authorities did not say whether the third participant in the fight would face charges.
Alejandro Ramos (left) and Johnluis Sanchez Hampden District Attorney’s Office
Local store manager Jose Almonte, quoted by the New York Times, said one of the suspects came to the store to buy juice. – When he left, he was attacked by two young boys waiting outside, the man said. Local TV stations showed the moment of the fight in front of the store, recorded by surveillance cameras. The video shows men struggling and customers running away from the door in panic. Eventually, one of the men involved in the brawl crawls into the store. “NYT” writes about three shots that were fired.
The surveillance system reported a shooting
As noted by the NYT, the incident occurred less than two hours after Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt encouraged the public to report gun attacks in the city during a press conference. He also reported that a gunshot detection system installed in Holyoke recorded 113 shootings from March to August this year. “Over the same period, only 14 911 calls were made regarding gun violence incidents,” Pratt said.
The system mentioned by the local police chief also notified the authorities about the shooting that resulted in the death of a newborn, CNN notes.
Hampden District Attorney’s Office, CNN, The New York Times
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