Cops: Pregnant woman shot in W. Oak Lane, baby dies

A heartless gunman opened fire on a pregnant woman Monday on a dark street in West Oak Lane, killing the fetus inside her, authorities said.

Meanwhile, the unborn child's mother is fighting for her life, a battle that police aren't sure she'll win.

Police stumbled upon the horrific scene about 10:15 p.m., while responding to a report of gunfire at Thouron Avenue near Limekiln Pike, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.

There they found a Dodge Caliber, its engine still running. Inside the car was a 32-year-old woman, her stomach swollen with the 5-month-old fetus.

She was covered in blood pouring out of a bullet wound in her lower back, Small said.

Beside the vehicle, lying prone in the street, was a 47-year-old man, shot several times in each leg.

The officers took both victims to Einstein Medical Center. About an hour later, the woman's unborn child was pronounced dead, Small said, his voice heavy.

The man is in stable condition.

It's unclear what prompted the gunfire, or who pulled the trigger. Investigators have little to go on: Witnesses saw two "dark-complexioned males" fleeing in an unknown direction.

It's not even clear if they were on foot or in a car, Small said.

Back at the scene, nestled in a normally quiet residential area, all that remained were the SUV and two shell casings, Small said.

The carnage served as a cruel punctuation to the day: Regina Brunner Holmes, an 85-year-old grandmother, was found brutally slain in her home on Roumford Road near Ardleigh in East Mount Airy, just 2 miles from where the expectant mother was shot.