The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after learning he was expecting a son, Ah’don Richardson was gunned down before he ever had the chance to hold his first child.

His girlfriend, Launise Guerrier, said the couple learned on Saturday that the baby she is carrying is a boy. By late Sunday night, she was receiving the call that shattered the future they had begun to imagine together.

Richardson, 22, was fatally shot shortly before 1am on Monday on Constitution Drive, off Foster Street. A 20-year-old woman was also shot and injured.

Ms Guerrier, 25, said she is 22 weeks pregnant and never expected to raise their child alone. She said the grief has been overwhelming, especially because her pregnancy is high-risk.

"I don't know if it was God, but I went and took my scan," she said. "When I told him the gender, he was excited, because it was a boy. He was like oh 'I’m going to teach my son how to fight, how to defend himself.'"

Richardson had been eager to become a first-time father, but his journey into fatherhood was cut short before it began.

Late on Sunday night, Ms Guerrier was babysitting at home when Richardson’s sister called her crying. She soon learned that he had been killed.

Still reeling from the news, she said the reality of his death became more painful when she saw a video circulating on social media.

"I saw the video of them actually taking his body out of the car," she said. "That literally teared me down."

According to police, ShotSpotter technology detected multiple gunshots shortly before 1am, prompting officers to respond to Constitution Drive.

Police found Richardson unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a silver Suzuki Swift. He had multiple gunshot wounds.

Emergency Medical Services personnel examined him and confirmed he showed no signs of life.

Police said the 20-year-old woman sustained gunshot wounds to her upper right thigh and abdomen. She remains in stable condition.

According to police, Richardson and the woman had just arrived at a residence on Constitution Drive when she got out of the vehicle and entered the home.

As she returned to the car, the occupants of a white Japanese-model vehicle approached and opened fire before fleeing south along Foster Street, police said.

Ms Guerrier said the injured woman is the girlfriend of Richardson’s sister and that they had been visiting a relative’s home.

She said Richardson had never expressed fear for his life and did not have a criminal background. She described him as kind, loving and non-violent.

Richardson worked as a carpenter and dreamed of owning his own carpentry business and building a house.

His killing has left Ms Guerrier mourning another devastating loss. She said she is still grieving the death of her daughter and is now facing the loss of her soulmate while trying to remain strong for her remaining children.

"I'm not the judge. God forbid killing as one of his commandments. But for me to move on I have to forgive them," she said, referring to the killer. "It's going to take a lot of time, because now that I have to grow a child up without a father.

"There’s going to be questions like where’s my dad. And I have to explain to my child that hey your dad got killed."

Ms Guerrier said she and Richardson had been friends for years before they began dating last year.

Their final conversation ended in an argument, something she is now struggling to process.

"I feel hurt how we ended our conversation," she said, adding she never imagined it would be their last.