Pregnant mother of five shot and killed but fetus survives
A gunman in a passing car fired five or six shots outside a Milwaukee supper club, killing a pregnant mother of five who was on a party bus parked in front of the venue, authorities said.
The bus rushed Annie Sandifer to Ascension St. Joseph hospital after the shooting at roughly 2:30 a.m. Saturday on Milwaukee's northwest side, but she didn't survive.
Doctors were able to deliver her baby via an emergency cesarean section, police said. The baby, a boy, was in stable condition, but was delivered just 26 weeks into the pregnancy. Family members told CBS Milwaukee affiliate WDJT-TV he weighed five pounds.
Police said Sunday that they hadn't arrested anyone, and it wasn't clear if the bus was the intended target of the attack. But family members said they were celebrating a family event and believe Sandifer wasn't targeted.
"She loved life, and this is just a shameless act," cousin Stephanie Thomas said.
"Everyone's going through a hard time right now, especially her husband," Thomas said. "We just really want the person who did this to her to come forward."
Police said they have no suspects.
At a Saturday evening vigil, relatives described Sandifer as a loving, giving mother to her children, WDJT reported.
Mourners released purple balloons to remember Sandifer, whose husband, Lorenzo Sandifer, brought red Valentine's Day-themed balloons.
Annie Sandifer's father, James Office, is devastated, WDJT said. "Any time you can just get hit by a stray bullet, out of nowhere, then how can you be protected?" he asked.
Relatives said Sandifer's extended family had been largely spared from Milwaukee's gun violence until this shooting.
"We're used to cancer and all that, but we're not used to gunshots," said cousin Keandra Lasher.
Family members pleaded for those responsible for the shooting to turn themselves in to police.