Three California kids experienced unbearable trauma after watching their mother was struck and killed by a stray bullet.
Maria Lourdes Soza was standing outside her San Francisco duplex at around 4 pm. Tuesday after picking her children up from school when she was shot, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
When Soza was hit, she pushed her 3-year-old daughter out of the way, the victim's other 13-year-old daughter told the newspaper. The teen said she heard a loud noise but thought her mother was hit by a bird.
Her mother "fell down and started bleeding a lot," the girl continued. "She was breathing a little while, but now she's gone. I can't believe it."
Soza's 9-year-old son and boyfriend were also at the scene. Doctors at San Francisco General Hospital tried saving her life but she did not make it.
"I miss her so much. I've been crying since yesterday until I fell asleep," the 13-year-old told the newspaper.
The gunfire came from the passengers of two cars that rounded the corner and were shooting at each other, the daughter said. About 10 minutes later, officers arrived at the scene in the city's Bayview neighborhood to reports of another two victims being shot, police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan told the newspaper.
The two victims, a man and woman, were also taken to the hospital where the man died from his wounds. The woman is still being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators are now looking into the possibility that both shootings are related, Gatpandan said.
