A man is accused of fatally shooting a woman who was seven months pregnant, killing her and her unborn child, according to authorities in Georgia.
Officers found the woman, 22-year-old Teonia Stokes, dead when they arrived at the scene of the shooting as well as another person, 25-year-old Curdarious Williams. Both had been injured by gunfire that erupted in Monroe the morning of Sunday, January 25, according to the Monroe Police Department.
Stokes had been an “innocent bystander” and was with Williams, her boyfriend, when the shooting occurred, her family told WSB-TV.
Williams was the father of Stokes’ unborn baby boy, her family said.
Now, 36-year-old Dorreous Brooks, a resident of Monroe, is facing charges of felony murder and feticide in the deaths of Stokes and her unborn child, according to police.
Brooks was arrested the evening of Tuesday, January 27, in connection with the shooting that killed Stokes, the Monroe Police Department said in a news release issued that day.
Information on whether Stokes had retained legal representation was not immediately available.
Stokes, a student teacher who was close to earning her teaching degree at Kennesaw State University, was already the mother of a 2-year-old girl, 11Alive reported. She was due to give birth to her unborn baby in April.
“My sister didn’t deserve this,” Teonia’s sister, Jadah Stokes, told the news outlet.
Teonia, who had three siblings including Jadah, was killed days before her 23rd birthday, the outlet reported.
“We were making funeral arrangements on her birthday… on her birthday,” Teonia’s aunt, Cal Durham, told 11Alive.
“She was full of hope, she was full of life, she was full of promise,” Durham said, adding that “And all she wanted on this earth was to be loved.”
Following the shooting, which sent Williams to a hospital, Monroe Police Department detectives “gathered evidence, conducted interviews, and executed search warrants as part of an extensive investigation in pursuit of the truth,” police also said.
A specific motive for the shooting was not specified by authorities.
Brooks was denied bond when he appeared in court on Monday, January 26, WSB-TV reported.
While speaking with the TV station about her sister’s death, Jadah said “I just would’ve hugged her longer before walking out the door if I knew that was going to be my last time seeing her.”
According to Teonia’s family, Teonia’s 2-year-old daughter is not able to fully comprehend that her mother has died, the TV station reported.
Before the shooting, Teonia had plans to teach at an elementary school, her family said.
In a statement shared with the Marietta Daily Journal on Teonia’s passing, Kennesaw State University said “We mourn her loss and her loved ones are in our thoughts.
Authorities continue to investigate the deadly shooting. The Monroe Police Department asks anyone who might have information on the incident to call Detective Sergeant Josh Reynolds at 770-652-0612 or Detective Mitch Studdard at 678-283-5422.
