A woman pregnant with twins who was shot last week in front of a Northeast Washington carryout went into labor Saturday at a hospital, and both babies died, according to the woman’s mother and D.C. police.
The newborns were taken to the medical examiner’s office, where rulings on the causes of death were pending Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The mother, Lakira Renee Johnson, 21, survived.
Johnson’s mother, Cassandra Johnson, 42, said Tuesday that her daughter unexpectedly went into labor at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. She said the twins were born alive and lived long enough to be named Heaven and Nevaeh — “Heaven” spelled backward.
The elder Johnson said her daughter underwent additional surgery Monday to repair damage, caused by the bullet that struck her in the stomach, that could not be addressed until after the twins’ birth. “She is in a lot of pain,” her mother said. A hospital spokeswoman declined to comment beyond confirming the deaths, citing the family’s wishes.
D.C. police said Johnson was shot about 10 p.m. Aug. 30 as she emerged from a store in the 1300 block of Brentwood Road NE. Relatives said she had walked to the store to get a cheesesteak; police described her as a bystander who was not targeted by the gunman. A man also was shot and critically injured.
Police said they are investigating whether whoever opened fire outside the carryout on Aug. 30 was shooting in retaliation for earlier violence in the area.