An arrest warrant has been issued for Devon Guisherd in connection with the murder of a pregnant woman whose baby died following an emergency c-section.
Guisherd, 27, of the 4200 block of Penn Street in the city's Frankford section, was named a suspect by Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark late Tuesday morning. Police say they tried to serve a warrant at the suspect's Penn Street address, but he wasn't home.
He is now considered a fugitive, according to officials.
"He's considered armed and extremely dangerous," Clark said. "He has a very violent history and we need to get him off the streets."
Megan Doto, 25, was eight-months pregnant when she was shot while sitting with a man outside a home on the 1500 block of Adams Avenue Sunday.
Investigators say a gunman wearing all black opened fire on a car along Griscom Street, striking her in the face.
"When I looked back at Megan, she was already struck in the face with the bullet. I'm attending to her because it's the only thing I know how to do -- was to attend to her," said neighbor and witness Christopher D'Agostino.
Medics rushed Doto to Temple University Hospital where she underwent surgery for an emergency c-section. Doctors pronounced Doto dead a short time later. Her baby girl died early Monday morning, according to police.
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Doto's boyfriend and the newborn child's father told NBC10 the baby girl died less than an hour after her delivery. The hospital said that the baby died Monday at 1:13 a.m.
Police recovered no weapon at the scene, but two dozen shell casings were found a block away. Investigators said they believe one of Doto's friends was the intended target.
The shooter may have fled the scene in a late model white Ford Crown Victoria or light-colored Chevy Impala with tinted windows, according to investigators.
Loved ones say Doto had two other children - ages 4 and 6 -- and was originally from Bensalem. They also say she was planning on naming her newborn baby "Carmine."
"It’s very sad and very tragic that you have a young lady 25 years old in the prime of her life just shot and killed," Clark said. "It’s even more tragic that her baby was also killed."
The city is offering a $40,000 for information leading to the conviction of Doto's killer. Clark says they were able to identify Guisherd as the suspect through tips from the public.
"When you have a young lady and you have a newborn baby that never was given a chance, I just think it touched their hearts," Clark said. "They came in and told my detectives they didn't even want the money."
Guisherd's sister, Tasha Guisherd, insists that her brother is innocent.
"When they came in this morning they said he was a murderer," Tasha said. "My brother is not a murderer! I understand that she was a woman and she was pregnant but my brother did not do this!"
Guisherd also told NBC10 she was angry that the shooting death of her other brother David Guisherd remains unsolved and has received little attention or talk of reward money. David Guisherd left behind two children and a fiancee.
"He was killed and he was shot down in the street like a dog," Tasha said. "Nobody looked for my brother's killer! But this girl got killed and all this hoopla! Where's the justice?"
