A pregnant woman, declared brain dead after being shot alongside her sister outside their Canoga Park apartment, has been taken off life support, according to her family.
Adriana Jimenez, 22, who was 16 weeks pregnant and a mother to a 6-year-old daughter, had been on life support since the August 23 shooting. Her uncle, Leonardo Ayala, stated that Jimenez was planning a gender reveal party for her 23rd birthday on September 11. Her sister, Maria Fernanda, 24, is reportedly in stable condition and recovering from a gunshot wound to the throat.
Ayala described the profound grief of the family, particularly Fernanda, who had lost their mother to breast cancer 13 years prior. "She's heartbroken," Ayala said of his niece. "We feel devastated. We still can’t believe that this happened. We don’t want to accept that [Adriana] is not going to be with us."
The Los Angeles Police Department reported the shooting occurred on the 8300 block of Northgate Avenue. The sisters were seated in a parked car when an assailant approached and opened fire. Ayala explained that the sisters had finished a late shift as cooks and were waiting in the car for a cousin when the incident took place shortly before 8 a.m. The suspect is identified as the ex-boyfriend of one of their cousins, and the motive remains under investigation.
Two days after the shooting, Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia, 30, was arrested. He has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, with allegations of personally and intentionally discharging a firearm. Prosecutors indicated they anticipate upgrading the charges in light of Jimenez's death. Rodriguez Garcia has pleaded not guilty.
The family is considering repatriating Jimenez's body to her native El Salvador, where she had resided for two years before the shooting. Her sister Fernanda had brought her to the U.S. over a decade ago. The family has established a GoFundMe campaign to cover medical, funeral, and repatriation expenses, as well as to support Jimenez's young daughter.
