Family identified the 17-year-old as Jariah Edwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was genuinely like one of the sweetest people,” Edwards’ aunt, who asked not to be identified, told 12News. “She just recently started growing into herself and becoming, you know, who she was supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Edwards’ aunt said her bright and loving niece was also ambitious and talented.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was preparing to welcome a baby girl in just a few weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was so excited,” her aunt said.<\/p>\n
Edwards was on a trip with her family in California when her ex-boyfriend allegedly showed up unexpectedly at the rental home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Police said they responded to a shooting call in front of the home around 1 a.m. on Saturday. Officers found a pregnant teen had been shot in the head.<\/p>\n
Edwards was rushed to the hospital, where her baby was delivered during an emergency C-section. The new mother didn’t survive her injuries.<\/p>\n
The baby is in critical condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Police said officers found the suspect, identified as Trevon Williams, 21, hiding in a nearby neighborhood with a semi-automatic handgun. He was arrested and is facing several felony charges.<\/p>\n
This is the third shooting involving a pregnant teenager from Arizona in the past three weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like this are preventable; they can be stopped before they happen,” Tanner Swanson, a spokesperson for A New Leaf, said.<\/p>\n
Homicide and suicide are the leading causes of maternal deaths in the United States, according to a 2025 national study by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of factors, I think, at play that make it a higher-risk situation,” Swanson said.<\/p>\n
Family said Edwards didn’t get the opportunity to name or hold her daughter. They said they’ll always remember the beautiful life that brought her here.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer legacy is that her daughter is going to be everything she wanted to be and so much more, and she should be proud of that,” Edwards’ aunt said.<\/p>\n
A fundraiser<\/a> was created to help pay for medical expenses and other essentials for her newborn baby.<\/p>\n You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere, thanks to the 12News+ app!\u00a0<\/p>\n The free\u00a012News+\u00a0app from 12News lets users stream live events \u2014 including daily newscasts like “Today in AZ” and “12 News” and our daily lifestyle program, “Arizona Midday”\u2014on\u00a0Roku<\/a> and\u00a0Amazon Fire TV<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 12News+\u00a0 showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.\u00a0<\/p>\n Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n Roku:\u00a0Add the channel from the Roku store<\/a> or by searching for “12 News KPNX.”\u00a0<\/p>\n