CPD: Pregnant woman dies, baby survives after Saturday evening shooting

CINCINNATI — A pregnant woman has died after being shot Saturday evening in Avondale, but her baby survived, Cincinnati police said.

Officers responded to the intersection of Rockdale and Harvey avenues around 5:21 p.m. after receiving a shot-spotter activation. They blocked off an area several blocks south of Rockdale Park for several hours. When they arrived, they did not find a victim.

Nia Booker, 34, was shot in that area before being driven to UC Medical Center with critical injuries. She died soon after her arrival, CPD said. Her child survived and is listed in critical condition, according to CPD Lieutenant Jonathan Cunningham. No information was provided about how far along Booker was in her pregnancy.

Cincinnati police said they have no suspect information at this time and the investigation is currently ongoing.

Willie Thomas said he always sits on the front porch of the Forest Square Senior Apartments feet from the intersection where the shooting occurred, but he said was luckily inside heading to the day room when he heard the shots.

"It was like five shots," he said. "Bop, bop, bop, bop, bop."

Thomas said he worked up the courage and entered the day room where his fellow seniors were a pane of glass away from the gunfire.

"When I did ease in here there was three people sitting at the table playing cards," he said, "And they already had moved looking for cover."

Other witnesses said a group of kids had been playing at the park on the other side of the intersection when the shooting happened and they ran for cover.

Thomas said gunfire in an area surrounded by kids and older people was unacceptable.

"Bullets, they ain't got nobody's name on them. Nobody's," Thomas said. "A bullet don't care what it hit, or who it is."

Avondale peace advocate Quentin Taylor, co-founder of Neighborhood Heroes 513, said enough is enough.

"I hate it. I hate it comes to this with all this violence," Taylor said.

Taylor said he rose from teenage gang violence to advocate for peace so he knows there's a better way for people to resolve their issues.

He said it was time for everyone to get involved in getting guns off the streets.

"The community leaders and the parents and all of us need to get together and stop some of these kids from the guns," said Taylor.

Booker's family has started a GoFundMe for funeral and child care costs.