Ex-Boyfriend Shoots Pregnant Pacifica Woman In The Head
PACIFICA (CBS SF) – Police in Pacifica are searching for a suspect who tried to kidnap his pregnant ex-girlfriend before shooting her, sending her to the hospital with a head wound and fractured skull.
At approximately 8:11 a.m., Pacifica police officers responded to the 1000 block of Terra Nova Boulevard after reports of a gunshot. The shooting happened in front of Casa Apartments, a senior housing complex.
"A witness reported hearing a gunshot and a female scream," said Pacifica Police Capt. Joe Spanheimer. "The same witness also saw a grey Toyota Camry fleeing the scene."
When they arrived, officers found the shooting victim -- a 25-year-old Pacifica resident -- with a gunshot wound to the head from a handgun. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Ruth Cooper, the witness who called police, told KPIX 5 she knew victim and the suspect. Cooper said the woman's name was Marissa and that she was an office worker at Casa Apartments.
Authorities said that the victim was eight months pregnant.
Police had initially reported that the victim had delivered her baby during an emergency birth at the hospital.
"She's very lucky. She was shot in the back of the head and has a fractured skull, but she is stable," Spanheimer told media reporting on the incident. "I don't know the status of the baby, but I believe everyone is stable at this point."
It was later determined that doctors decided against an emergency c-section to deliver the baby because the mother's condition was stable and the health of the unborn baby was not threatened by her injuries.
Cooper said she saw the victim immediately after the shooting.
"I asked her if she needed a blanket," explained Cooper. "You know it was cold this morning, but she was sitting up and fine. She's darn lucky."
Cooper said their relationship was a rocky one.
"She attempted to take him to court because he had damaged her car. And that probably pushed him over the edge," Cooper said.3392352
Spanheimer said that the gunman may have tried to kidnap the victim before opening fire with the handgun.
"I believe the victim was coming in as a place of employment," said Spanheimer. "Our understanding he may have attempted to kidnap her and when she refused to go along he shot her."
A suspect in the case has been identified as 25-year-old transient Ricardo Colindres. Further investigation determined that Colindres is the former boyfriend of the shooting victim. He is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5 feet, five inches tall, 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Colindres was last seen in a 2003 Silver Toyota Camry with California license plate #6CGN644. Colindres was seen fleeing northbound on Highway 1.
He is known to frequent Brisbane, according to police.
School district officials told KCBS that Terra Nova High School, Ingrid B. Lacy Middle Schol and Ortega Elementary School were locked down around 10 a.m. The incident did not involve the schools, but the lockdown was in place as a precaution.
As of 10:40 a.m., the lockdown at the three schools was lifted.
Anyone with information regarding Colindres and his whereabouts is asked to contact the Pacifica Police Department at 650-738-7314, or 911. Residents are cautioned not to approach Colindres if seen as he is considered armed and dangerous.
