FIRST ON FOX: The mother of a 20-year-old woman shot in the back of the head on the Upper East Side Wednesday night while pushing her 3-month-old in a stroller said the suspect is the child's father.
"The city was supposed to be protecting her," said Lisa Desort, the mother of Azsia Johnson. "This is a domestic violence case from January. We called the precinct."
The victim, a mother of two, was shot in the head from behind and at close range at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night while pushing a stroller on E. 95th St. and Lexingtion Ave. The suspect fled.
Police are trying to track down the baby's father, who is being called a person of interest in the murder investigation, a source told Fox News Digital.
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"All that anyone needs to know in this city is we called numerous times for her protection," said Desort, who broke down in sobs as she spoke to Fox News Digital. "No one protected my daughter, and now she's dead."
The suspected shooter is the father of the 3-month-old child in the stroller, Desort said. "He threatened me with death, my daughter with death, and my other daughter with death," she told Fox News Digital. "We called the precinct numerous times."
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Johnson also shares a 2-year-old child with another man and aspired to be a pediatric nurse.
Desort said her daughter had everything going for her. "She had been working since she was 16, and she took care of people. She was the best mother," the grieving mom said. "My daughter did not deserve this."
At a press conference late Wednesday night, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell described the suspect as a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, who fled eastbound on 95th St. after the shooting.
Mayor Eric Adams blamed the violence on an "over-proliferation" of guns on the streets and added that "there is just no fear on using these guns on innocent New Yorkers, and this is the result."
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He said authorities would track down Johnson's killer.
"We're going to find this person that's guilty of this horrific crime," Adams said. "We're going to find him and bring him to justice."
The NYPD declined to comment. Johnson's ex-boyfriend, who allegedly assaulted her when she was pregnant, has a lengthy rap sheet. Fox News Digital is withholding his name out of respect for the investigation.
Adam Sabes contributed to this report.