Pregnant woman shot and killed while trying to rob people in Chicago, officials say

A pregnant woman was shot and killed while trying to rob a group of people on Chicago’s north side, Illinois police say.

The woman, identified as 21-year-old Genesis Escobar, was seven months pregnant, Chicago police told TV station WLS. Neither she nor her unborn child survived.

The botched robbery happened at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 6, on the 5200 block of W. Montana Street, according to a Chicago Police Department release.

Escobar got into a vehicle with multiple people inside and “announced a robbery,” the release said. But the situation turned violent and “there was an exchange of gunfire” between someone outside the vehicle and those inside — with Escobar apparently caught in the crossfire.

She was shot three times, with bullets striking her in the shoulder, back and hand, police said. She died at the scene.

Investigators believe the person firing from outside the vehicle was Escobar’s boyfriend, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Iris Alvarez, a friend of Escobar’s, heard the gunfire and witnessed the aftermath, CBS Chicago reported.

When the shooting stopped, she saw the driver get out of the vehicle and dump Escobar onto the ground, Alvarez told the outlet. Then they threw some cash on top of her and drove off.

“My heart is broken in pieces,” she said.

Police haven’t announced any arrests as of March 9 but an investigation is underway.

This story was originally published March 9, 2023 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Pregnant woman shot and killed while trying to rob people in Chicago, officials say."