Baby born premature dies after mother shot dead in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — A baby girl has died about five months after she was born prematurely when her mother was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office said Friday that 5-month-old A’Miracle Jones died Thursday evening at a downtown Chicago hospital. The baby’s mother, 19-year-old Parasha M. Beard, was killed Sept. 18 when she was shot in the head.

Police say Beard was in a parked car when another vehicle drove past and someone inside fired shots. The medical examiner ruled Beard’s death a homicide.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Beard’s mother, Crystal Jones, has been caring for the baby since her daughter’s death. Jones tells the newspaper “it hurts so bad.”