Alabama woman charged with manslaughter of unborn baby while actual shooter goes free

Last December, 23-year old Ebony Johnson shot 27-year old Marshae Jones during an argument outside of a Dollar General store in Birmingham, Alabama. The gunshot wound to the stomach caused Jones to miscarry a 5-month pregnancy. Ebony Johnson was initially charged with manslaughter, but a grand jury failed to indict her and the charges were dismissed.

Yesterday, a grand jury indicted Marshae Jones, the victim of the shooting, with manslaughter.

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From AL.com:

"The investigation showed that the only true victim in this was the unborn baby,'' Pleasant Grove police Lt. Danny Reid said at the time of the shooting. "It was the mother of the child who initiated and continued the fight which resulted in the death of her own unborn baby."

Reid said the fight stemmed over the unborn baby's father. The investigation showed, he said, that it was Jones who initiated and pressed the fight, which ultimately caused Jemison to defend herself and unfortunately caused the death of the baby.

"Let's not lose sight that the unborn baby is the victim here,'' Reid said. "She had no choice in being brought unnecessarily into a fight where she was relying on her mother for protection."

The 5-month fetus was "dependent on its mother to try to keep it from harm, and she shouldn't seek out unnecessary physical altercations," Reid added.

Jones is being held at the Jefferson County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

(Photo: Charles Miller/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0)