What to Know
- Lakira Renee Johnson, 21, was five months pregnant when shots were fired into a crowd Aug. 30. She was wounded.
- She went into labor 4 days later. The twins, born alive, were named Heaven & Nevaeh. They died shortly after birth, said their grandmother.
- Surveillance video of two persons of interest have been posted to the MPD website.
The twins of a pregnant shooting victim died shortly after birth, the woman's mother said. Now D.C. officials are calling on the public to help bring the shooter to justice.
Lakira Renee Johnson, 21, was five months pregnant when shots were fired into a crowd Aug. 30. Johnson was wounded.
Cassandra Johnson, Lakira's mother, told The Washington Post that her daughter went into labor Saturday, four days after the shooting.
The twins were born alive and named Heaven and Nevaeh, but died shortly after birth, she said. The newborns' bodies were taken to the medical examiner's office.
Johnson had been on her way to a Northeast D.C. carryout to buy a sandwich when she was shot, police said. She was one of two bystanders wounded by the gunfire.
"We do not believe Ms. Johnson was the target of the shooting," said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday, calling her an innocent bystander.
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Cassandra Johnson said her daughter underwent surgery Monday to fix some of the damage to her own body.
No arrests have been made in the shooting.
Bowser and Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham are calling on members of the public to step forward with any information they may have.
Newsham said the shooting may have been an retaliation attempt after another homicide.
Police are currently investigating the case as assault with intent to kill, but Newsham said the U.S. Attorney's Office is also researching possible charges involving the deaths of the two babies.
"When tragedy strikes... there is no more necessary or effective way than to find and arrest, convict and imprison, those who have no regard for human life, and we need your help to do this," Bowser said Wednesday.
Surveillance video of two persons of interest have been posted to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) website. Anyone who recognizes them is asked to immediately call police.
MPD is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest and conviction.
