A 22-year-old pregnant mother in Canoga Park, California, was taken off life support after suffering a devastating gunshot wound to the head in a targeted ambush while sitting in a car with her sister. Adriana Jimenez, who was 16 weeks pregnant and the mother of a 6-year-old daughter, was declared brain-dead following the August 23 shooting, ending her life just weeks before the family had planned to hold a gender reveal party for her unborn child.
Background
The incident occurred in the early morning hours in a Los Angeles neighborhood alley. Jimenez and her sister had finished their shift as cooks at a Thai restaurant around 2 a.m. and subsequently went out with two cousins and Jimenez’s boyfriend, the father of her unborn child. According to family accounts, the group returned to their apartment and pulled into an alley to wait for a car to be moved so they could park.
Police state that a gunman walked up to the Toyota Camry in which Jimenez was behind the wheel and her sister was a passenger. The suspect opened fire on the two women while they were stationary. Jimenez suffered a critical injury to the head, while her sister was struck in the throat. The bullet that hit the sister barely missed her vocal cords and jugular vein. A doctor later told the Los Angeles Times that had the bullet been a few centimeters back, the sister would have been killed.
Jimenez’s boyfriend was also targeted; the suspect allegedly attempted to shoot him during the ambush. The motive for the shooting has not been released by authorities. The family launched a GoFundMe campaign describing Jimenez’s wound as 'devastating,' noting she remained on life support until her death was confirmed.
The Investigation
Investigators identified the suspect as 30-year-old Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia. Police arrested Garcia two days after the shooting. He initially faced three counts of attempted murder, accompanied by special allegations that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm. Prosecutors have indicated they expect to upgrade the charges against Garcia now that Jimenez has been taken off life support, shifting the legal focus from attempted murder to homicide.
Leonardo Ayala, the uncle of the victim, expressed the family's devastation in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. 'We still can't believe that this happened,' Ayala said. 'We don't want to accept that [Adriana] is not going to be with us.' The tragedy has left the family grappling with the loss of both Jimenez and her unborn baby, as well as the trauma inflicted on her surviving sister and young daughter.
Key Takeaways
- Adriana Jimenez, 22, was shot in the head in Canoga Park, California, on August 23 while sitting in a car with her sister.
- Jimenez was 16 weeks pregnant and had a 6-year-old daughter; the unborn baby also died.
- Suspect Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia, 30, was arrested two days after the shooting.
- Garcia faces three counts of attempted murder, with prosecutors expecting charges to be upgraded to homicide.
- Jimenez’s sister survived a gunshot to the throat that narrowly missed vital structures.
- The shooting occurred in an alley where the women were waiting to park after returning from a night out.
- Jimenez’s birthday and the planned gender reveal party were scheduled for September 11.
- The motive for the ambush remains unreleased by police.
What's Next
Prosecutors are expected to formally upgrade the charges against Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia from attempted murder to homicide following the confirmation of Adriana Jimenez's death. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has indicated that the legal proceedings will now center on the murder charge, while the attempted murder counts for the surviving sister and boyfriend remain active. The motive for the ambush is still under investigation by the LAPD, and no arraignment date for the upgraded charges has been publicly announced yet.