A pregnant woman was shot in the stomach at point blank range as she left a shop, killing both of her unborn twins.
Lakira Renee Johnson, 21, was critically injured after being attacked while buying food from a takeaway restaurant in north Washington DC.
CCTV footage released by Washington Police Department showed two men wearing hoods approaching the shop, before firing into a crowd which quickly dispersed.
Mrs Johnson was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital where she gave birth due to the shock of the incident, despite her pregnancy only being at the 21 weeks stage.
The twin girls, named Heaven and Neveah by their mother, died shortly after. An unnamed man was also critically injured during the incident and taken to hospital.
Mrs Johnson then had to undergo further surgery to repair her wounded stomach and chest the following week.
Witnesses said they believed Mrs Lakira was not the intended target of the attack, but merely an unfortunate victim. It is believed to have been revenge for earlier gang violence.
Mrs Johnson’s mother Cassandra said in her statement her daughter was “in a lot of pain” following the attack.
Police officers are continuing to investigate the incident, and said no arrests have yet been made.
It is unclear what charges the convicted shooter would face if they are found as the District of Colombia does not currently have a “foetal homicide” law in place.
