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Pregnant woman shot, killed during home invasion
Deputies said Crystal Johnson, 19, was shot and killed during a home invasion early Sunday morning.
MANATEE COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Detectives are searching for men they said shot and killed a pregnant woman during a home invasion.
According to reports, at 1:20 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to a call about a shooting at the Desoto Village apartments, located on Fifth Street E in Bradenton. When they arrived, they learned that two or three unidentified men kicked in the front door of the apartment and began shooting.
One of the residents, 19-year-old Crystal Johnson, was shot as she came out of her bedroom to see what was going on, investigators said.
"She was shot in the neck. Senseless," said Jeremy Stotz, who performed CPR on Johnson. "The girl never hurt anyone."
Johnson, who was between six and seven months pregnant, was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Doctors delivered her baby, which was later transported to All Children's Hospital, the report said. The little girl later died.
"It was something they (Johnson and her boyfriend) looked up to that they've been waiting for," said Johnson's friend Castora Betancort. "It's all gone in one day."
Detectives said that three other people were in the apartment at the time of the shooting: Johnson's mother, 46-year-old Susan Moore, her sister, 22-year-old Britney Johnson and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Lawrence Funsch.
Deputies said that once the suspect burst into the home and began firing, Funsch, who was armed, started shooting back.
At least one of the suspects may have been shot, deputies said.
A short time after the shooting, 28-year-old Everrick Houston was brought into Manatee Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper body. Detectives believe Funsch shot him during the incident.
Detectives said they do not have a motive, but they also do not believe that the incident was a random act.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.
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