Pregnant woman beaten, shots fired at 'baby shower gone bad'
Thu, April 6, 2006
By AP
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. -- A baby shower erupted into a fight in which one man was shot and several others, including the seven-months-pregnant guest of honour, were beaten with a stick.
Three people were arrested after the brawl, described by police as a "baby shower gone bad."
Police said the shooting victim, Aristotle Garcia, got into a fight with a man dating his ex-girlfriend. The argument, over whether the woman let their five-year-old daughter drink beer, escalated and drew in two others -- Jazz Rivas and Juan Velazquez, police said.
When the hostess tried to intervene, Rivas began hitting guests, including the 22-year-old mother-to-be, with a stick, police said. She was treated after the incident Saturday and released.
Velazquez, 19, fired a gun into the crowd, hitting Garcia in the stomach, police said
.
Velazquez was charged with assault and battery and armed assault with intent to murder.
The man Garcia was initially fighting with, Antonio Santiago, 25, pleaded innocent to similar charges.
Rivas, 22, pleaded innocent to four counts of assault and battery, including one on a pregnant woman.