A pregnant Louisiana woman who was about to give birth with her unborn child is murdered by a group of teens who shoot into her car in a case of mistaken identity.
Police said Keresha Johnson, 36, was shot and killed early Sunday while trying to collect people from a party in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Johnson, who was nine months pregnant and “due to give birth within several days,” was found dead inside her car by officers responding to reports of gunfire, according to an arrest warrant.
During the investigation, the police found that the event was an Easter party, and most of the guests were teenagers.
Investigators learned that Johnson was driving toward the party when “several individuals” began shooting at her white sedan.
Police said Keresha Johnson (pictured), 36, was shot and killed early Sunday while trying to collect people from a party in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Johnson (pictured), who was nine months pregnant and “due to give birth within several days,” was found dead inside her car by police officers responding to reports of the shooting, according to an arrest warrant.
They all believed it was someone, driving a similar vehicle, who had earlier fired shots into the air near the party, according to the note.
Johnson attempted to flee but was wounded and killed along with her unborn child, according to the note.
“It just made no sense,” Diana Williams, a childhood friend of Johnson’s, told Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ. – She was an innocent person.
Video footage shows the alleged gunmen “raising firearms, pointing them at the victim’s car, and then firing,” before fleeing the scene, according to the note.
Baton Rouge police have arrested three teens in connection with the shooting.
Marks Burch, Gregory Parker and Derek Carey, 19, have all been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree fetal murder, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department.
Pictured: Derek Curry. Three teens have been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree fetal murder, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department
Pictured: Gregory Parker. The teens allegedly told investigators they were armed at the time of the incident, according to the note
Pictured: Marquis Porsche. Burch allegedly told police that he had given the firearms to the other teens prior to the shooting, according to the note. Police said he was shot while fleeing the scene but his injuries are not life-threatening
They told investigators they were armed at the time of the incident, according to the warrant.
Burch allegedly told police that he had given the firearms to the other teens prior to the shooting, according to the note. Police said he was shot while fleeing the scene but his injuries were not life-threatening.
East Baton Rouge Parish Court officials confirmed to ABC News that the three suspects were ordered into custody without bond during their court appearance on Monday. Online prison records show they are being held at the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail.
Until his arrest, Burch was a corrections officer in the West Baton Rouge sheriff’s office.
He was a corrections officer from June to November 2022, before returning as a part-time employee in February as a transportation driver, according to a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.
The sheriff’s office said in a statement that he was “immediately terminated” Sunday after being notified of his arrest.
