Paramedics save unborn baby after pregnant woman shot dead in church in Spain

PUBLISHED: September 30, 2011 at 5:23 pm  •  LAST EDITED: September 30, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Lead, National News  •  0 Comments

• The gunman opened fire at the church of Santa Maria del Pinar in Madrid

IN a miracle operation emergency workers were able to save an unborn baby after a pregnant woman was shot dead in a church.

The incident happened after a gunman walked into the church of Santa Maria del Pinar in Madrid just before mass and opened fire, killing the mother-to-be and injuring another woman nearby.

According to witnesses the man then knelt before the altar and shot himself in the mouth.

Emergency crews delivered the victim’s baby by caesarean section but doctors at La Paz hospital are now waiting to see if the infant suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen.

The motive for the attack is unknown and the police have said initial investigations showed no relation between the 34-year-old man and his 36-year-old victim, who was just days away from giving birth.

About 40 people were in the church at the time of the shooting, including the pregnant woman’s mother.

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