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A pregnant Los Angeles woman was shot and killed as she sat next to her father in a car on her way to a birthday party.
Marissa Perez, 25, was four months pregnant when she was shot multiple times, including once in the head, while waiting at an intersection in Artesia.
A car pulled up to the passenger side of the vehicle and fired at the vehicle in what investigators believe was a ‘targeted’ killing.
“I want justice for my daughter, I want justice for my granddaughter,” said Sandra Tolentino, Pérez’s mother, in a interview.
Marissa Perez, 25, was shot to death in Los Angeles on her way to a birthday party with her father.
The 25-year-old appears in a heartbreaking photo showing off her ultrasound before she died.
“I want justice for my daughter, I want justice for my granddaughter,” said Sandra Tolentino, Perez’s mother.
Perez was pregnant with her first child and was due to give birth in June (pictured), her family said.
The shooting occurred around 7:30 p.m. on December 29 near the intersection of Pioneer Boulevard and Artesia Boulevard.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene after a car pulled up next to Perez and began firing at the vehicle.
As of Wednesday, January 4, no arrests have been announced in the case and no one has been named by law enforcement officials.
As investigators continue to search for Perez’s killer, relatives of the woman have come forward, urging the public to share any information that could lead to the arrest of the person who took their loved one.
You don’t deserve to walk these streets. He needs to be behind bars for the rest of his life,’ Tolentino said in an interview with ABC7.
The grieving mother held back her sobs as she spoke to local media alongside another member of her family, as well as the father of her daughter’s baby, Andrew.
Perez was four months pregnant when she was shot multiple times, including once in the head, while waiting in her car at an intersection in the Artesia neighborhood of Los Angeles.
‘I was 25 years old. She was about to be a mother in five more months. She was so happy,’ Tolentino said
Pérez (second from the left) with several family members
‘I was 25 years old. She was about to be a mother in five more months. She was so happy,” Tolentino said.
‘I was super excited. She seemed like a whole new person, I’ve just never seen my sister shine like that,” said Marissa’s brother, Isaac Tolentino.
“She should never have been taken from us like that,” the mother said.
April Perez, Marissa’s aunt, had spoken to her niece moments before the shooting occurred.
In an interview with KTLAApril said that Perez had called her to confirm the details of the party and told her that he would arrive no later than 7:00 p.m.
Perez’s boyfriend was the first to raise red flags, calling the woman’s aunt and asking if she had made it to the party.
“Her boyfriend calls me and says ‘Marissa already got there’ and I say ‘no’ and then he hangs up on me,” April told the local news outlet.
“She was just an innocent person who didn’t deserve to be brutally murdered like that, or her baby,” April said.
I still had a life ahead of me and it kills me that we can’t have the next chapter. Don’t hold grudges and just love, love so hard because you never know when the last time you’ll say goodbye will be,” the woman’s mother said.
A GoFundMe launched after his death has raised more than $28,000 of his goal of $30,000 as of January 4.
‘Marissa was expecting the biggest blessing, a baby in June’, a GoFundMe created by his family read.
Perez was described as ‘the most loyal, caring, outgoing and strong person’ by friends and family.
“Nothing has prepared us for this immense feeling of loss and sadness,” the fundraising page’s description read.
“Nothing has prepared us for this immense feeling of loss and sadness,” the fundraising page’s description read.
Hundreds have donated to the campaign for the young woman’s family and dozens have left comments remembering and honoring her life.
‘Girl, may you and your sweet angel rest in peace. Society failed you and I am so sorry that you have come across such evil people. My condolences to the Perez family. May God Bless You xx let’s be kinder Raza. Please pray that Marissa and her baby receive justice,” one commenter wrote.
‘Marissa, you were so loved by so many. May you and your baby rest in everlasting peace. Thank you for shining so bright in this world,’ said another person who donated to her.
‘My condolences go out to the family. May God comfort all affected by his loss,” another person wrote.
A makeshift memorial has since been set up in a shopping plaza near the scene. Photos and videos from the scene show candles, balloons and flowers in honor of the woman.
“I love you forever,” read a candle placed on the monument. “My sister-in-law forever, I love you,” read another message from a loved one.
This is the intersection where Perez was shot and killed in Los Angeles
Pérez was on his way to a party for his aunt (right) when she was killed
This is a photo of Perez and his aunt, posted in a tribute video on TikTok.
Pérez’s boyfriend is grieving after losing his girlfriend and the son they were expecting
Police continue to investigate the shooting. Perez’s family says law enforcement have said they don’t believe he was random, but no motive has been shared.
‘It wasn’t random, we know that. It wasn’t random,’ said Sandra Tolentino.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
The gruesome shooting comes amid what appears to be an ongoing crime wave in Los Angeles.
Since December 2020, LA has experienced an 8.3% increase in the number of violent crime homicides, robberies, and assaults in a two-year span.
Homicides in the city are up 7.8 percent year to date compared to 2020, with 373 cases reported.
Robberies are up 13.2 percent and aggravated assaults are up 7.7 percent in the past two years.
In the last two years, overall violent crime in Los Angeles increased 8.3 percent.