Azsia Johnson was a 20-year-old mother who was shot in the head while pushing a baby in a stroller in New York City.
According to CNN, Johnson, who was named by police, was from Staten Island.
Police believe the slaying may be domestic violence related and not a random act. The slaying occurred as concerns about crime continue to escalate in New York.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Johnson, Who Wanted to be a Pediatric Nurse, Was Shot ‘at Point Blank Range’
According to Pix11, Johnson aspired to be a pediatric nurse.
New York Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a news conference on June 29, 2022, that at 8:23 p.m. that day, officers responded to a report of a person shot. They discovered a 20-year-old female who was unconscious with a gunshot wound to her head.
She was pronounced deceased a short time later at the hospital. The shooting occurred on June 29, 2022, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
The victim was pushing an approximately 3 month old in a baby stroller when a man approached her and fired a shot into her head at extremely close range, Sewell said. He fled on foot. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.
There were no arrests.
New York Mayor Eric Adams decried the accessibility of guns during the news conference. He said a “mother was pushing a baby carriage down the block…and is shot at point-blank range.”
Adams promised, “We are going to find this person who is guilty of this horrific crime.”
2. Johnson, a Mother of Two, Was Described as a Woman Who ‘Had Many Things Going for Herself’
Loved ones posted tributes to Johnson on Facebook.
Valerie Duncan wrote on Facebook,
Today my sister in law lost her sister and my nephews lost their aunt…. but the worst part is her two children lost their mom…. she had many things going for herself before this tragedy took place but this is what family for your name will live on and your kids will be in great hands…. RIP Beautiful 💔😪 remember her name #AzsiaJohnson #domesticviolenceawareness.
A friend wrote, “Sleep in peace beautiful 😞 I cannot even believe this right now. Such a kind and beautiful soul.”
3. Police Believe the Attacker Knew Johnson
According to CNN, Johnson was believed to be the mother of the child in the stroller. Police have a person of interest and believe the victim and gunman knew each other.
They believe the shooting was an incident of domestic violence, according to CNN.
“The victim was targeted,” Adams said in the news conference.
According to the Independent, Johnson’s family says Johnson was planning to meet with her baby’s father that night, but police have not confirmed the identity of the person of interest.
According to The New York Daily News, police want to speak with the baby’s father.
4. Johnson’s Mother Says She Stayed in a Domestic Violence Shelter & Reported Abuse to Police
Johnson’s mother Lisa Desort told NBC New York that Johnson “reported being abused while she was pregnant.”
The station reported that Johnson filed a domestic violence report in January 2021.
“The city failed my daughter because on January 1, my daughter called me and said she was being abused while she was six months pregnant,” Desort told NBC News York. “She was scared to call the police so she gave me the address. I called police.”
Desort told the station that police “did respond and made sure Johnson was safe” but couldn’t find the alleged abuser, so she ended up staying at a domestic violence shelter.
“She worked to the end of her pregnancy,” her mother told NBC New York. “She was on maternity leave with this baby. He kept harassing her, and threatening my life and my younger daughter’s life.”
Her mother told Pix11, “She was a wonderful mother. She dressed them in brand new clothes, wanted nothing but the best for her children.”
5. Johnson Wrote, ‘I Want Another Baby Girl Sometime in the Future’
Watch as @NYCMayor and @NYPDPC provide an update on this evening’s shooting in Manhattan.
Click on the link ⬇️
t.co/01hRChsipo
On Facebook, Johnson shared videos of children and wrote, “I have my baby girl nd baby boy😍. Can’t wait to do her hair when shes a bit older. Nd I want another baby girl sometime in the future.”
In another post, she wrote, “Yesssss‼️💯 and I be telling ppl this when they talk shyt about ppl to me like idc about the negativity, feed my mind positivity Wether it’s about You, me or another person.”
Her Facebook page linked to an Instagram page, but it was deleted.