Pregnant woman dies after shooting

A pregnant woman who was shot in the head after attending a party on July 5 has died after being hospitalized on life support, marking the third shooting death in the Electric City so far this year, according to authorities.

Last year, there were two shooting deaths and none in 2018.

The victim, who police identified Thursday as Ieasha Merritt, was brought to the hospital in grave condition after she was found with a shotgun wound.

There were tributes to Merritt posted a few days ago on Facebook — including from a woman who

identified herself as her mother, who said she also lost a son to gun violence in Queens.

The 34-year-old victim, who was from downstate, was not believed to be the intended target of the person who opened fire during a gathering at an afterhours club in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood.

On Thursday, Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said police told him that Merritt appeared to be in her first trimester of pregnancy. She died some time late last week.

Carney said his office plans on meeting next week with city police investigators to discuss the case.

Detectives from the Schenectady police are asking anyone with information about this shooting to call the tips line at 518-7886566.

Last week, Police Chief Eric Clifford said he met with the woman’s mother and aunt, assuring them police were doing all they could to apprehend the shooter.

The woman was found in a parking lot around Albany and Hamlin streets and taken to the hospital.

The disturbing rise in gun violence has also plagued Albany and Troy this year, where shootings have surged.

Carney attributed the increased in shootings across the region to several factors, including the state’s bail discovery laws, as well as more people on the streets after months of being cooped up inside because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district attorney said there is also increased scrutiny and criticism of the police, and reluctance of people to cooperate with officers following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“I think people are acting on impulses recklessly and it may be a combination of not feeling police action, relief from the pandemic and going outside with a general recklessness about their behavior,” he added. “I think the trends were happening before the pandemic.”