The baby of a pregnant woman that was delivered prematurely after her mother was shot and killed inside a house in Howard County, Maryland, has died.
The baby, named Ahja, was delivered by doctors at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore at 28 weeks old and was in critical condition until she died on Wednesday.
Police said multiple bullets were fired into the home last Friday from outside on Dovecote Drive in Columbia, Maryland.
The mother, 30-year-old Rabiah Ahmad, was struck by a single bullet. She was transferred to shock trauma, where she later died.
Police are searching for answers and have doubled the reward to $10,000 for information in the case.
Police said while there is no evidence that Ahmad was targeted or that the crime was racially-motivated, the Council on American Islamic Relations is offering an additional $5,000 reward for information.
“This is a great and devastating blow … This doesn’t make sense. Please help us find lil’ Rabiah’s killer,” Ahmad’s family said in a joint statement to CAIR.
Ahmad was killed during Eid al-Adha, one of the major holidays in the Islamic faith, celebrated by Muslims worldwide for a period of three to four days.
“Our goal in offering a reward is to encourage anyone with information about this horrific crime to come forward and help deliver justice for Rabiah and her family,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, in a press release. “At this point, there are too many unanswered questions and the community’s help can make a tremendous difference.”
Police are encouraging residents in the area to check their doorbell and security footage for any activity during the time of the shooting on July 31.
Tips can be submitted to police at (410) 313-STOP or HCPDCrimeTips@howardcountymd.gov. Those with tips can remain anonymous.