Murder

 

Community mourns pregnant woman who was shot to death

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Her six month unborn baby survived

By Dave Andrusko

Kimberly Richardson is seen in a photo posted on a GiveForward fundraising website for her family.

Faith Baptist Church in Youngstown, North Carolina, was filled with over 900 people Sunday afternoon who came to pay tribute to a vivacious woman “who had a way of just filling up a room with a smile.”
Six months pregnant, Kimberly Richardson was shot, allegedly by her boyfriend, but managed to stay alive long enough to place a call to 911.
According to KTLA 5, “Officers believe Richardson’s strength while talking with 911 in her dying moments ultimately saved her baby’s life.”
Yesterday, ABC 11 reported,

There was also talk of the miraculous survival of the baby, Lacy Dianne Richardson.

Pastor Richard Mills said the baby’s life was possible because of Kimberly Richardson’s “heroic acts” of striving to live.

But Mills said the baby “still has a long way to go.”

He asked the community to pray for little Lacy.

Richardson’s close friend and roommate, Lauren Byerly, told ABC 11,”When she found out she was pregnant she was so excited.”

Byerly added, “She was going to be an amazing mother. And I was excited to be a part of her life and her family’s life. …[I]t helps a lot to know there’s part of her still here.”
Penney Smith, a family friend, said the outpouring of sympathy and support from the community is helping everyone to cope.
“It’s terrible with tragedies like this but we always can pull together and be there to support each other,” Smith told ABC 11.

As NRL News Today reported last week, on April 18, 911 dispatchers received a call from the 25-year-old Richardson, a call they could barely make out.
“Help, I’ve been shot” Richardson said over the phone before it went silent. As she struggled for breath, according to WNCN-TV, “She was able to tell the dispatcher that she was outside, but what followed was nearly 43 second of chilling silence before she could muster enough energy to again tell the dispatcher, ‘Behind Party City.’”
The conversation ended after Richardson responded “I can’t…I can’t talk” after being ask for her phone number.

The dispatcher tried unsuccessful to get her back on the line. Police sirens were the next thing heard over the phone.
When Raleigh police arrived, they discovered that Richardson had not only been shot, but that she was also six months pregnant. She was rushed to WakeMed where doctors performed an emergency C-Section that saved her daughter’s life.
Tragically, Richardson died.

Her boyfriend, Daniel Joseph Steele, 25, was immediately a suspect when police discovered that Richardson had said, “He shot me” during the 911 call.
He was charged with Richardson’s murder and is being held without bond.


Source: NRLC News