gun violence

‘I Saw Mommy Die': Woman Shot to Death in Her Car in DC as Her Children Sat in the Backseat

Relatives said Fajr Vallejos had picked up her kids from her parents’ home and was almost to her place when she was caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting.

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The search for a shooter continues after a woman was found shot to death in a car with her two children, who were not physically harmed, Friday evening in Anacostia, a law enforcement source told News4.

Fajr Vallejos, 30, was found about 8:20 p.m. in a car in the 1700 block of W Street SE, police said. She was just blocks from her home, her family said.

Family members told News4 Vallejos’ 8-year-old and 5-year-old children were in the backseat and witnessed her killing.

“The fact that they were with her makes it even worse," her husband, Jose Issac Vallejos, said. “My son... pretty much said he saw fireworks and then, 'Mommy crashed, and then I saw mommy die.'”

Relatives said Vallejos had picked up her kids from her parents’ home and was almost to her place when she was caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting. She was shot and crashed her car.

“Honestly, the only consolation is that the children were not hurt," Alya Ahmed, a lifelong friend of the victim, said.

Ahmed said Vallejos was kind, loving, generous, hard-working and always had a smile on her face.

A black sedan with tinted windows was seen leaving the block after the shooting.

Police are offering a $25,000 reward in the search for a suspect. As that investigation continues, her grieving loved ones have a message for the public.

“If you have any information, I implore you, please come forward and share with the police. Share anonymously. Share it however you can, because she cannot find peace before she is buried. We cannot find peace until she is buried and this person is apprehended," Ahmed said.

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