‘Jealousy, sibling rivalry’: Woman shot, killed sister and her 3-week-old baby, police say
Updated 5:33 pm, Wednesday, March 22, 2018
Natalie Martinez was fatally shot over the weekend while sitting in a car with her 3-week-old son, according to reports.
Natalie Martinez, 33, and her son, Elijah Martinez Jr., 6 months, were killed in the shooting on Sunday when Natalie Martinez, 33, was shot several times in the head, according to reports.
Family members, who are asking for privacy during their time of grief, told the Tampa Bay Times that Natalie Martinez was sitting in her SUV in a parking lot while her sister, Christina Martinez, was inside the house where they lived, with her 3-week-old son and 3-year-old daughter.
“They heard a noise,” Christina Martinez told the Tampa Bay Times. “I thought it was my son crying because he would always cry in the winter. Then when I turned around he was laying facedown out in the driveway. I ran and I started calling 911. She just stood there, frozen, and I called my husband, but he couldn’t hear me. I was running from the house and I couldn’t get there.”
When police got to the scene, they found a bullet hole in the windshield and several bullet fragments in the interior vehicle when the car was towed away.
Family members told the Tampa Bay Times Natalie Martinez died from the gunshot wound. A family friend told the Times that, “All I am trying to do is keep a roof over her head and take care of her kids.”
Police said Wednesday that Natalie Martinez was shot while sitting in her SUV in a parking lot on Saturday while inside the home. The shooting occurred about 3:50 p.m. near 10 Mile Road and N Stirling Drive in Largo.
Natalie Martinez and her son were found inside a car in the parking lot. The baby died on scene from the trauma sustained from the gunshot wound, police said.