Inset: Jariah Edwards. Background: The San Diego vacation rental where Jariah Edwards was shot and killed by her boyfriend (KPNX/YouTube).
A pregnant teen who was due to give birth in just a few weeks was allegedly shot in the head and killed by her boyfriend in California. The young man showed up unexpectedly with flowers and then shot the mother-to-be when she came outside to get them, according to family and friends.
Jariah Edwards, 17, of Arizona, was in San Diego with her family and staying in a “short-term vacation rental” when her boyfriend, Trevon Williams, 21, showed up unannounced early Saturday morning with the flowers and asked her to come outside, the San Diego Police Department reports.
“[Williams] had traveled to San Diego separately and met up with the victim outside the rental, where he shot her,” SDPD officials say in a press release. “The victim and several family members were visiting San Diego from Arizona.”
A friend tells AZ Family that Williams allegedly coaxed Edwards outside with the flowers after showing up in the middle of the night.
“At approximately 1:10 a.m., San Diego Police Department Dispatch received multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting in the 4900 block of Gardena Avenue,” the SDPD release says. “Officers arrived within minutes and located [Edwards] suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.”
Williams allegedly shot the young mother and then “fled on foot to a nearby canyon,” according to police. “At approximately 3:00 a.m., officers located the suspect hiding near 4900 September Street,” the SDPD release says. “A semiautomatic handgun was recovered at the time of his arrest.”
Edwards” family told Arizona NBC affiliate KPNX that she was due to give birth to a baby girl in just a few weeks. “She was so excited,” an aunt said, asking to remain anonymous.
“She was genuinely like one of the sweetest people,” the aunt told KPNX. “She just recently started growing into herself and becoming, you know, who she was supposed to be.”
When officers arrived on scene early Saturday, they immediately initiated lifesaving measures for both Edwards and her unborn child. Paramedics transported them to a local hospital, where an “emergency cesarean section was performed,” according to police.
“The newborn remains in critical condition,” the SDPD release says. “Despite life-saving efforts, the mother died at the hospital.”
Williams was booked into the San Diego County jail on suspicion of murder. He is expected to appear in court this week.
