Pregnant woman fatally shot in south Minneapolis; baby delivered

July 7, 2020 at 4:10AM

A pregnant woman was shot Sunday night in south Minneapolis and died after being rushed to a hospital.

The woman's baby was delivered at HCMC and placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There was no word on the newborn's condition, according to police spokesman Garrett Parten.

Shots were heard about 9:15 p.m. near the intersection of E. 37th Street and S. Elliot Avenue. Officers found the woman inside a vehicle suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

Police have classified the woman's death as a homicide. No one has been arrested.

Authorities have not released the name of the woman, but Charles M. Dillon said on Facebook the victim is his niece, Leneesha Helen Columbus, 27. Dillon is a radio personality at KMOJ-FM who also goes by the name Chaz Millionaire.

"This is my niece," he wrote on Facebook.

Columbus wrote on her Facebook page that she was a model and publicist for Dawgy Entertainment, a Minneapolis music company.

"We are devastated over the news about Leneesha Helen Columbus," the company said on its Facebook page. "Not only was NeNe our the biggest Dawgy Entertainment fan but, was AND STILL IS one of the biggest supporters we've ever had since we've been on this side of life."

It's the city's 29th homicide of the year.

Staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768

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Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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