Georgia man charged with murder after pregnant mother shot dead while asleep
Family say Pridgen had just moved into her first apartment and was days from giving birth
A 23-year-old pregnant Georgia mother was fatally shot while asleep in her Decatur home in the early hours of Tuesday, along with her unborn son — just days after her family had celebrated her approaching due date at a baby shower.
PEOPLE confirmed with the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office that officers responding to a reported shooting at the residence found Shakiya Pridgen suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She and her unborn child were pronounced dead after being transported to hospital.
Arrest made the same day
Later on Tuesday, 26-year-old Devin Anthony was arrested in nearby Riverdale and charged in connection with the killing. Investigators believe the shots were fired into the home from outside, according to the sheriff's office.
Pridgen's family have alleged that Anthony was her ex-boyfriend and the father of the unborn child, and that he knew exactly where Pridgen slept — in a bed she shared with her two children, aged one and three — 11 Alive reported. Police told PEOPLE they were unable to confirm or deny that information, but confirmed no one else was injured in the shooting.
A family's grief
Pridgen had recently moved into her first apartment independently and had plans to marry and build a settled life, her mother Verdina Scott told WSB-TV. The family had held a baby shower for her the previous weekend, just days before she was due to give birth to a boy she had planned to name Kyren.
"She was doing everything a mother is supposed to do," Scott said. "We are a strong family. We are going to take care of her children and keep her name alive, and see justice for her."
Scott also spoke directly of her daughter and unborn grandson in an emotional appeal. "I want the world to know that somebody took a blessing, a blessing, from all of us, and we will get justice," she told 11 Alive. "This will not be the last time you hear from us. We will get justice for you, Shakiya, and Kyren."
The charges Anthony faces
Anthony has been charged with malice murder, feticide, two counts of aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. As of Thursday, 18 June, it was not immediately clear whether he had entered pleas or retained legal representation. He is being held without bond at DeKalb County Jail, according to the sheriff's office.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support Pridgen's two surviving children.
