Mother of infant killed in Holyoke shooting talks to 22News

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – The mother who lost her newborn a week ago during a shoot out in Holyoke remains in the hospital and faces a long road to recovery.

Last Thursday was a typical day for 29-year-old Selena Santana. She was riding a bus, running an errand for her older son, when gun fire changed the course of her life forever. She she shared her story with 22News.

“I don’t think it’s fair. I wasn’t doing anything. I wasn’t running in the streets I was with my family, running an errand for my oldest son, and to have my baby taken away… it’s not fair, it’s not fair.”

Selena Santana

Selena Santana is still at Baystate Medical Center recovering after getting shot while riding a bus with her family when an argument broke out between three men, one is still on the loose. She has not only physical wounds from the gunshots but mental wounds from the loss of her baby boy, who was going to be named Ezekiel Ramon Garcia, which are still very raw.

“When I woke up I was in the hospital bed with tube in my throat and the first thing I did was go looking for my stomach and I didn’t feel him in my stomach. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk because of the tube and I had to write on paper asking where’s my son, if he was alive,” said Santana.

Santana said she was shot twice, one bullet ending up in her leg, the other hitting the baby she was carrying in the chest. She said since her uterus has been shot, she is unable to have any more children.

Santana said is been hard on her family, her children, fiancé and family visit when they can, “We’re just basically waiting so I can get cleared to go home, so I can bury my baby.”

Santana has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the funeral expenses.