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Police: Baby Of Pregnant Woman Shot Dead In Frankford Dies

By Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The newborn baby of a pregnant mother who was shot and killed in Philadelphia's Frankford section has died, police say.

Authorities are searching for the gunman whose bullets - intended for another target - instead struck and killed a 26-year-old woman, identified by neighbors as Megan Doto.

Police say Doto was sitting outside her apartment building near Adams Avenue and Griscom Street just before noon on Sunday, watching a neighbor's 7-year-old child, when gunshots rang out down the block, and the bullets, apparently intended for a man nearby, missed and hit her.

"There was a stray round that traveled, like I said, several hundred yards down the street," said Police Captain Steven Murianka, "and just, unfortunately, happened to strike where this female was sitting in a chair and struck her in the face."

The victim, who was eight months pregnant, was taken to Temple University Hospital where doctors tried to save her life and also delivered her baby via C-section. The woman died, and homicide detectives report the premature infant died overnight.

"These guys don't care about daylight, they don't care about it being a Sunday, they don't care how beautiful the weather," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. "They're just evil thugs and they will do whatever, whenever they can."

Police recovered several shell casings from the scene where the gun was apparently fired. Witnesses claim the gunman drove off in a older model, light-colored Ford Crown Victoria.

Investigators are still conducting interviews and looking for neighborhood security camera video in hopes of identifying the shooter.

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