Woman Shot In JeffVanderLou Was Pregnant Mother Of Five

ST. LOUIS, MO — Police have identified 30-year-old Veronica Taylor as the woman shot to death early Sunday morning in the 3800 block of Labadie Avenue in north St. Louis' JeffVanderLou neighborhood.

The shooting took place shortly before 1 a.m., the Post-Dispatch reports. The woman was dead when officers found her.

Relatives say Taylor, a mother of five, was five months pregnant with her sixth child. Taylor's aunt, Georgia Griffin, told Fox 2 that her niece was shot "execution style."

Griffin said she and the kids — who are in her custody — just want justice. She has set up a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses, and are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers or the police.

"Our beloved Veronica Taylor lost her life to the never ending gun violence here in St. Louis," Griffin writes. She leaves behind her 5 children all under the age of 15. As the foster parents of these children as well as a few extra, it is hard to gather expenses during this difficult time. This unexpected circumstance has led our family in world of grief. She will be dearly missed. Any donation will be greatly appreciated."

More than 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year and twice that number are injured, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 13,000 are murdered. The rest take their own lives or are victims of shooting accidents. Almost half are children or young adults.

Last year St. Louis cracked its 25-year murder record. Per capita, the city ranks third for homicides in the United States and first for non-fatal shootings, according to data from the FBI and Major Cities Chiefs Association.

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