Two sisters, one of them pregnant, were shot while sitting inside a car in Los Angeles in an attack relatives say was carried out by someone known to the family.
Adriana Jimenez, 22, and her sister, Maria Fernandez Jimenez, were parked in an alley near their home in Canoga Park, California, at about 8am on August 23 when the violence unfolded.
Adriana, who was 16 weeks pregnant, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was later declared brain dead. Her unborn baby also died, according to ABC 7.
Maria Fernandez Jimenez was shot in the neck. The injury left her unable to speak, though she is expected to survive, relatives said.
‘It was so tragic. I couldn’t believe it,’ the sisters’ uncle, who asked not to be identified, told the outlet.
The uncle said the accused gunman was ‘close to the family,’ leaving loved ones struggling to understand why ‘he made that decision,’ he told ABC 7.
Authorities arrested 30-year-old Walter Rodriguez Garcia last week in connection with the Canoga Park shooting, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Garcia had been romantically involved with another person who was inside the vehicle but was not shot, according to the outlet. In all, five people were in the car when gunfire erupted.
Adriana Jimenez, 22, and her sister, Maria Fernandez Jimenez, were shot on August 23, 2026, in Canoga Park, California. Jimenez was shot in the head and left brain dead
The mother was 16 weeks pregnant at the time of the shooting. Walter Rodriguez Garcia, 30, was arrested last week for the shooting. He had a romantic relationship with one of the three uninjured occupants of the car
The 30-year-old was charged with three counts of attempted murder.
Jimenez leaves behind a six-year-old daughter.
The family had been planning to celebrate the 22-year-old’s birthday on September 11, when they were going to also do a gender reveal.
‘It’s hard to hear her daughter ask: “When is Mommy coming back? I want Mommy with me,”‘ a relative told NBC Los Angeles.
Jimenez spent nine days fighting for her life before doctors declared her brain dead.
The family started a GoFundMe to help pay for her funeral. They are hoping to raise enough to send her body back to El Salvador, where the family originates.
‘Our family never imagined we would find ourselves facing a tragedy of this magnitude,’ the fundraiser, which has garnered nearly $2,000 as of Friday afternoon, said.
‘Along with the overwhelming grief, we are now faced with unexpected medical and funeral expenses, the possible repatriation of Adriana’s remains, and the responsibility of making sure her young daughter is supported and cared for during this incredibly difficult time.’
Jimenez leaves behind a six-year-old daughter, who has been asking for her mother, her family said
The family is seeking justice against Garcia as they mourn Jimenez and her unborn child.
Our News Outlet has reached out to the LAPD and the Jimenez family for comment.
