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A case of mistaken identity has resulted in a horrific nightmare. On Friday, February 19, at 9:52 p.m., police responded to a call of gunshots on McGrew Street in El Campo, TX.

The victims were a young couple, Ross Lee Zahradnik, age 18, and Kayla DeLeon, age 17. The two were waiting outside a friend's house when a man walked up to the front of their car and starting shooting. The couple was shot at twenty-two times while sitting in their vehicle.

According to one Facebook post 17 year old Kayla struggled to help turn on the emergency lights in the car. They made the swift decision to drive themselves to the hospital quickly instead of wait for an ambulance.

According to a close family source, it was a case of mistaken identity. The white Chevy Cruze the pair was in was misidentified as someone else's. The victims had no association or connection with the perpetrator.

Ross was struck multiple times in the hand, thigh, and arm; he was taken to a local hospital and has since been released. 17-year-old Kayla was struck three times, two gunshot wounds to the face and one in the neck. Kayla was eight months pregnant and had to get life-flighted to Children’s Memorial Hermann in Houston. Upon arrival, she underwent a 9-hour surgery; she had to deliver her baby prematurely during that time.

The shooter has been identified as 25-year-old Eric Dupree Perry Jr by the El Campo Police Department. He was arrested on six warrants for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and two warrants for Abandon/Endanger, a Child Imminent Danger Bodily Injury in connection with the shooting on McGrew Street shooting. Perry is currently in custody at the Wharton County Jail.

The victims and their baby are all in stable condition. The mother and child will continue to recover in the hospital. The family is begging for justice to be served for their loved ones as they push for a harder sentence for the perpetrator's punishment.

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