He shot a pregnant woman, killing her preborn baby. Now, he’s facing murder charges.

A North Carolina man faces murder charges after shooting a pregnant woman in the stomach, killing her preborn child. 

On Aug. 19 at approximately 5:15 p.m., officers with the Fayetteville Police Department responded to reports of two women shot near Gillespie and Trade Street. Notably, one of the women was in the late stages of pregnancy. The women were taken to the hospital and the baby was delivered via emergency C-section. Heartbreakingly, the baby died shortly thereafter. The autopsy revealed that the baby died of injuries inflicted in the shooting.

Police have not revealed the identifies of the women. The latest reports indicate that the mother is in critical condition and the other woman is stable. 

Jermaine Jabbar Florence Jr., 24, has been charged with first degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, felony conspiracy, shooting into occupied vehicle, and shooting into occupied dwelling. He is currently behind held at Cumberland County Detention Center without bond.

In North Carolina, the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act” recognizes a preborn child as a legal victim and holds responsible a person who commits a violent act against a pregnant woman, resulting in injury or death of the preborn child. The legislation is also known as “Ethan’s Law,” honoring the preborn child of Jenna Nielsen, a Raleigh newspaper carrier who was murdered in 2011 when she was eight and a half months pregnant. Prior to Ethan’s Law, criminals could only be charged with murder of a preborn child if the crime occurred on federal property. 

Tragically, preborn children do not receive these protections in all states. However, there are currently 38 states that recognize the unlawful killing of an unborn child as homicide in at least some circumstances. 

This tragedy serves as a somber reminder that every life, born and unborn, deserves protection, care, and, above all, justice.