A pregnant woman was shot and killed after a fight broke out at a Texas park early Saturday, her family told ABC Houston station KTRK.
Four other people were struck by gunfire, including two suspected shooters, after dozens of shots were reportedly fired, police said.
Police respond to a deadly shooting at Margaret Jenkins Park in Houston, July 22, 2023.
KTRK
The shooting occurred at Margaret Jenkins Park in southeast Houston around 1:14 a.m., police said. The Houston Police Department received multiple reports of shots fired at the location through its ShotSpotter technology, Assistant Chief E. Garcia said.
"A total of 36 shots came in from that technology," Garcia said at a press briefing.
Police respond to a deadly shooting at Margaret Jenkins Park in Houston, July 22, 2023.
KTRK
Police believe a fight broke out between groups of people at the park, when the altercation led to some taking out firearms and shooting, Garcia said.
Three of the people struck by gunfire were transported to a local hospital, including the two suspected shooters, Garcia said. They are in stable condition, he said. One person suffered a graze wound and did not to go the hospital, he said.
The family of the woman killed in the shooting identified her to KTRK as 21-year-old Autumn Vallian.
Ebony Vallian speaks to ABC Houston station KTRK, July 22, 2023.
KTRK
The victim was with her friends and family at a birthday party when the fight broke out, KTRK reported. She was trying to leave when she was fatally shot, her mother, Ebony Vallian, told the station.
"My daughter came telling me, pulling me, 'Mama, let's get away, let's get away,'" Ebony Vallian told KTRK. "I looked back, my baby was down on the ground. Gone."
Her family told the station Autumn Vallian was 5 months pregnant and was excited to become a mother.
"I just lost my baby," Ebony Vallian told KTRK. "I just lost my baby. [She was] in school, trying to get a job. Trying to become something, and she's gone now."
The two shooting suspects have been detained at the hospital, according to Garcia. Police are investigating to see if there are any additional suspects in the incident, he said.
