Pregnant woman dead, 2 kids injured in shooting

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office say a pregnant woman was shot and killed in a Pine Hills neighborhood on Monday afternoon.  A 13-year-old girl and a 10-month-old baby were also injured.

Authorities were still searching for two suspects in the late evening hours after all three victims were struck by bullets near Dunsford and Gamble drives. Deputies just happened to be on another call nearby, when they heard the gunshots.  

"I heard shots I thought it was fireworks," said neighbor Karimh Bell.

They arrived to discover a 21-year-old pregnant woman, later identified as Imelda Francois, deceased. 

"The police was doing CPR and afterwards the paramedics came and they were trying CPR on her," neighbor Marlon O'Brian explained. 

Six people were inside the vehicle that was sprayed with gunfire. The woman's 21-year-old boyfriend, a 15-year-old girl, and an 6-year-old boy were not injured.

"There was a 13-year-old girl who exited the vehicle and was shot in the arm who was running from the vehicle, deputies encountered right away," said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.  

"As a father and grandfather, this is an emotional issue for the entire community." says Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.  "Over all, this is a safe, quiet neighborhood. We are not often in the neighborhood and certainly not for these types of activities."

The suspect vehicle is described as a white Chevrolet Malibu. They are looking for two young men for questioning but did not immediately release their names. 

"This was a very violent scene that we have we're working for many reasons," Demings added. "The car was shot multiple times. So at this point we're appealing to the public to provide any information that would assist us at this time." 

Both children who were shot were taken to the hospital for treatment. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).