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INSIDE News » Business » NewsFlash » Weather » Traffic » Obituaries » E-Power » The Times-Picayune  .gif){kind=small}
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Archives News Pregnant woman
shot over cigarette
18-year-old refused to stop smoking
10/05/02
By Michael Perlstein
Most people cringe at the sight of a pregnant woman smoking. Some
people feel strongly enough to say something in protest. But one local man
took matters into his own hands early Friday when, according to police, he
shot an expectant mother who refused to put out her cigarette.
The bizarre scene unfolded about 12:40 a.m. when the 18-year-old woman
walked out of a convenience store in the 1500 block of Forstall Street,
New Orleans police spokesman Juan Barnes said. The woman, in the ninth
month of her pregnancy, had a bag in one hand and a lit cigarette in the
other.
As the woman made her way to the sidewalk, an unidentified man began
railing against her for smoking while pregnant. The woman railed back,
Barnes said, telling the man something akin to "mind your own business,"
except using more colorful language.
At that point, the man pulled out a handgun and aimed it toward the
sky. He tried to fire a shot, but the gun jammed, Barnes said. That
prompted the man -- known to the woman only as a strange character from
the neighborhood -- to examine his weapon to figure out what went wrong.
Suddenly, the gun went off, striking the woman in the left shoulder,
Barnes said.
The woman was rushed to Charity Hospital, where she was treated for the
gunshot wound. From there, she was rushed to University Hospital to
determine the health of the fetus. Everything checked out OK, Barnes said,
but the excitement apparently sparked early labor: Later that night, the
woman's water broke while she was still at the hospital.
The woman had not given birth at press time Friday, but mother and
child were progressing fine, hospital officials said.
"Talk about a child being introduced to crime, even before he was
born," Barnes said. "We're just glad to hear there was a happy ending."
Barnes said the woman was expected to deliver her baby Friday or today.
The baby was not due until Oct. 28, he said.
Fifth District Detective Carlton Lawless is trying to develop
information on the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call
941-4400.
. . . . . . .
Michael Perlstein can be reached at mperlstein@timespicayune.com
or (504) 826-3316.
10/05/02
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