An eight-month-pregnant model was killed after two gunmen with rifles opened fire on a parked car she was sitting in with her child's father in Washington DC. However, the daughter was miraculously saved after she was successfully delivered shortly after in an emergency C-section but is in critical condition.
Samya Gill, 22, was seated in the passenger seat of a sedan parked in Southeast DC around 11 am on Thursday. During that time, another vehicle approached, and two armed individuals emerged from it and opened fire at the parked car. Gill's husband also luckily survived the attack but she died of her injuries shortly.
Killed for no Reason
According to the authorities, the two gunmen fired at least 14 shots into the car, hitting Gill and the father of Gill's child who was driving but not the unborn child directly.
Surveillance footage captured the shooters fleeing in the vehicle they arrived in. Gill's car also drove away from the scene, although it only went a short distance before coming to a stop.
EMS personnel carried both victims to the hospital. Once they reached the hospital, Gill gave birth but subsequently died.
DC Police Assistant Chief Andre Wright described the incident as a "brazen attack" and indicated that it appeared to be a targeted assault. However, he acknowledged the lack of a clear motive for the attack.
Assistant Chief Wright appealed to potential witnesses, emphasizing the importance of their cooperation in solving the case. He released surveillance footage that captured the moment the two suspects exited a white sedan and approached Gill's vehicle while brandishing firearms. The footage may serve as a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
"While none of these groups of folks are directly involved, we do believe that you can't do something as heinous as this and the community not know something," he said during a press conference.
"This video was of great quality and so I'm confident that when this goes out into the community that we will get calls that will enable us to further this case and inevitably close it," he said.
Suspects Still at Large
The shooting took place outside a McDonald's located in the 300 block of 37th Street SE. However, the vehicle in which the victims were traveling continued north for about a mile until it reached the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue.
Photographs from the scene depict the car that Samya Gill had been in, showing numerous bullet holes, including at least 12 in the windshield and two in the driver's side window.
Gill's mother, who preferred not to be named, told ABC 7News that her daughter was a model and had recently launched her own online clothing boutique.
"I just think she was in the car [at the] wrong place, wrong time," she said. "I'm crushed, I'm devastated of course. I'm lost, I've been all over the place."
Gill's mother confirmed that her granddaughter, named Zailey, was delivered successfully and that she had been present with her at the hospital during that time.
"She's beautiful, I went to go see her last night and she's just gorgeous," she said of the baby. "I just really hope they catch whoever did that to my daughter," she added.
Gill's mother set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help cope with the financial burden imposed by the shooting. from the shooting. She expressed that her daughter's death was the tragic consequence of "senseless gun violence."
In a heartfelt tribute to Gill on Facebook, a relative described her as a reserved and compassionate young woman. The relative wrote, " I can't believe this happened to such a shy, quiet, caring young lady. Lord please give my family the strength to get through this. RIP Samya, we will be a part of your babies life and show her these crazy family videos,' they wrote.
