Police in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, are asking for help identifying the person responsible for murdering a pregnant teenager.
According to the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office, on May 13, 19-year-old Tyemeshia Miller was shot in the back and killed while standing on a front porch talking to a group of people, including children. Police said they do not believe she was intentionally targeted, but died all the same. She was five months pregnant with a baby boy.
Miller’s aunt, Lakishia Carrier, agreed that she likely wasn’t the person the shooter was after, saying she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. “She was an innocent bystander,” Carrier told Penn Live. “It wasn’t meant for her. It’s a sad thing. No matter what they do now, they can’t bring her or the baby back.”
In an emotional statement, Harrisburg Police Commissioner Thomas Carter said police were able to respond in less than a minute because they were already in the neighborhood on an unrelated 911 call. But it wasn’t fast enough to save Miller.
“They were in the right neighborhood but just 30 seconds off,” he said. “We are trying, but this hurts. Every homicide in the city hurts, but this really hurts because you had a 19-year-old female who was pregnant. Who in their right mind fires into a crowd with children in it? I’m getting sick and tired of seeing monuments.”
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Miller’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the back, while her baby boy, according to the coroner, died of asphyxiation due to the shooting. Both deaths are being ruled homicides. Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women.
During a press conference, Carter begged the public to help solve the crime for Miller and her baby. The attorney general’s office already confirmed that the shooter, once found, will be charged with a double homicide.
“Harrisburg, we have to stand up, we have to solve this, and police cannot do it by themselves. On behalf of the unborn child, can we please do something about this here?” Carter said. “When is this going to stop? And the police cannot do it by themselves. Let’s bring this person or persons to justice responsible for this here horrible tragedy.”
Anyone with information about the murder is being asked to call Harrisburg police at 717-558-6900 or submit a tip on Crimewatch.
Editor’s Note: If you are a victim of domestic violence, please visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE.
