Pregnant 16-year old Ohio girl shot in head and killed by ex-boyfriend

Anna Karam, age 16

16-year old Anna Karam was four months pregnant when she was shot in the head and killed by her ex-boyfriend, David Stoddard, 24, in Akron, Ohio.  Stoddard burst into her home and started firing, fatally shooting her in the head and injuring another young woman in thead, before fleeing.

From an article:

Anna Karam, 16, and four months pregnant, died of a gunshot wound to the head. Jessica Halman, 19, ofNorton, is showing signs of recovery at Akron General Medical Center after suffering a similar head wound. 

On Monday, Nelson recalled the outburst of alleged gunman David Stoddard, 24. He recalled as many as eight bullets being fired as Stoddard pursued him and others through the house. It only ended with a jammed gun over Nelson’s and his sister Jolynn Risten’s heads. 

“He came in ruthlessly and just started shooting,” Nelson said. 

Stoddard is in custody, charged with aggravated murder, attempted murder and felonious assault. Those who witnessed his rampage are left asking why. 

Stoddard, who lives in Barberton, had at one time dated Nelson’s other sister, Jennifer Risten. The 21-year-old woman lives with Nelson and Anna at the South Akron home. 

Jennifer Risten and Stoddard dated a short time last year and broke up months ago. 

The two remained friends and Stoddard showed no signs of trouble, including earlier when he joined the group during an outing. 

“After 2:30 everything went sour,” Jennifer Risten said Monday. 

Stoddard showed up at his ex-girlfriend’s home on East Archwood Avenue about 4 a.m. Sunday. Nelson was the first to see him at a back door. Stoddard was armed and angry and looking for Jennifer Risten. She wasn’t home. 

“I walked up to him and I tried to talk to him but he wasn’t having any,” Nelson said. “He told me he was on a bunch of trash and I said, ‘Not here, we’re going to have to go outside real quick.’ ” 

“He was like, ‘No, I’m here on some trash, I got some guns.’ ”
Trash is slang for anger or torment. 

In a flash, Stoddard burst inside the home, pulling out his gun and firing the first of about eight shots. Karam and Jolynn Risten were coming downstairs amid the shouting and gunfire. Nelson said he tried to rush the women upstairs. But the gunfire was starting. 

Karam was struck first while in the stairway. Halman, who had tried to talk to Stoddard, was shot near the kitchen. No one else was injured. 

Nelson recalled holding Jolynn Risten on the floor when Stoddard’s gun jammed over their heads. Stoddard then pleaded for Nelson to kill him. 

“After the gun jammed, he kept putting it in our face, telling us we knew what it was [that triggered his outrage] and then he asked me if I could put the gun in his mouth. 

For a second, I wanted to do it. He just took my best friend’s life,” Nelson said. 

Instead, Stoddard fled the home and got inside a black Nissan Pathfinder. He apparently drove to a Wadsworth motel, where police spotted his SUV parked on High Street. Wadsworth officers and Medina County SWAT officers arrested Stoddard without incident inside a room later Sunday morning.

According to another article, the shooter may have actually been gunning for another ex-girlfriend.