Pregnant woman shot, killed trying to break up fight after her baby shower in Harlem

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, September 13, 2021

Pregnant woman fatally shot after breaking up fight at her baby shower

A pregnant woman was killed after she was shot in the head while trying to break up a fight after her baby shower in Harlem Sunday morning.

HARLEM, New York (WABC) -- A family is deep in mourning after a mother who was nine months pregnant was shot and killed right in front of her daughter as she was coming home from her own baby shower early Sunday morning.

The celebration turned into heartbreak for the Harlem family.

"Shanice was nine months pregnant...she was nine months pregnant," said her sister, Metania.

Shanice Young, 31, a mother just weeks away from giving birth, was shot in the head in front of her building on West 128th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Her family gathered in the same spot to grieve.

"Shanice was a victim, She didn't have four children - she had two, and the third one died with her," her sister added.

Inside Rikers Island, there's an increase in violence, and it's not just attacks amongst inmates. Assaults against corrections officers are up by 23%.

Just after 1 a.m. Sunday, Shanice was returning from her baby shower. She was taking the gifts into her building lobby when police say a fight broke out between the two men. Neighbors say one of the men was Shanice's ex, and the other was the father of her unborn child.

One of the men had a gun that fired off, and a bullet hit Shanice in the head.

There is a memorial for the 31-year-old and her unborn daughter. She also had two other children and was caring for her two younger siblings.

A local domestic violence activist and survivor was outraged at the unnecessary loss of two lives.

"I'm upset because she didn't have to die...it could have been me," said Stephanie McGraw.

Police are still trying to determine who pulled the trigger.

No arrests have been made at this time.