Pregnant woman shot to death day before baby shower

HOUSTON (KTRK) - A killer is on the run, responsible for a drive-by shooting that killed a Texas woman who was eight months pregnant.

Jennifer Hernandez, 20, was shot in a drive-by shooting Friday evening in Houston. She was eight months pregnant with a little boy and a baby shower planned for the very next day. Both she and her unborn child died.

“Still having a hard time processing it ‘cause like I said, I wish there was more I could do. But there wasn’t,” said a witness named Rick.

Deputies say Hernandez was in a blue Nissan Sentra with her 17-year-old boyfriend. They had just left a Shell gas station when a white, four-door sedan with tinted windows and paper license plates sped up beside them.

“The next thing we heard is a bunch of gunshots,” Rick said. “It just flew off. It just kept on going, like it didn’t even want to be a part of it, which understandably, they don’t want to be … caught from the ignorance they did.”

Hernandez was in the passenger seat on the phone with her mother. Rick, who ran to help and called 911, said she was shot in the face.

“She was on the phone with her mother, telling her … ‘I’m not going to make it, Mom. I’m not going to make it,’” Rick said.

She was later taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Hernandez’s boyfriend was also shot but survived.

“He literally just rolled out of the car … and kept saying, ‘Please help my girlfriend,’” Rick said.

A witness who wanted to stay anonymous said the injured boyfriend was wearing a ski mask. The sheriff’s office says he was wearing the mask for COVID-19 health reasons.

Deputies are now searching for the shooter and a motive. They are asking the public for tips to help them find the killer.

Hernandez’s family wants justice for both the mother-to-be and her unborn child, who was supposed to be the first grandchild in the family. Meanwhile, a family friend created a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral expenses.

Copyright 2022 KTRK via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.