JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A pregnant woman is in critical condition after being shot in an argument that started on Facebook, according to Jacksonville police.
Police were called to the shooting in the 9100 block of Castle Boulevard in Northwest Jacksonville about noon.
They said two women got into an argument on the social media site Tuesday night, and the pregnant woman went to the home of the other, 35-year-old Virginia Wyche, Wednesday to discuss the disagreement.
Police said the dispute turned physical, and Wyche shot the pregnant woman.
"I know the victim was definitely shot in the abdomen. That's the one gun shot that I know of. That's why the consideration and concern for the unborn child's health," said Homicide Sgt. Michael Paul.
Lillian Jordan said she is the suspect's mother. She said she is just as confused about the shooting at her family's home as anyone else.
"My son called me and I was very disturbed about this because this is not the way I was raised, and they (were) not raised like this," said Jordan. "Somebody had to provoke my child ... to do what she (did). I don't know if she was trying to defend herself, or if they (were) trying to jump on my child, I can't say."
The pregnant woman was taken to UF Health Jacksonville with life-threatening injuries, and police said she and her unborn child were in surgery.
Jim Fields, a neighbor who spoke with Channel 4, said he's shocked that this happened in the neighborhood he grew up in.
"Shocked to know that, we grew up amongst one another and something like this could actually happen," said Fields. "We try to stay in communication with a lot of the people in the neighborhood. We come back regularly to visit the neighborhood, of course I do because my mom stays here. We definitely try and keep up with them to make sure things are OK though we can't pinpoint everything but we do our best."
Police arrested Wyche, who's charged with attempted murder. Investigators first said Wednesday they questioned her to see if the shooting was the result of self-defense.
"We're going to interview the suspect and see what the situation is and see what we have. Not jumping to any conclusions at this point. We know she was here, she was involved in the shooting, but the circumstances, we don't know at this time," said Sgt. Paul.
"I pray that God continues to bless the families and everyone can learn to get along. Sometimes it's best to just walk away from the problem than to try and solve it yourself. Looks like the enemy had his way today but I'm continuing to pray for the neighborhood and the family in their time of need," said Fields.
Police said they have not found the weapon yet.