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Court docs: Man who shot woman to death in front of children previously incarcerated for assaulting her

Documents show that the woman was shot six times in total while sitting in a car with her two young children.

WASHINGTON — Court documents are giving more insight into the deadly shooting of a 27-year-old mom, who was killed in front of her two young children.

The shooting happened in the 2500 block of Georgia Avenue around 8 p.m. on Jan. 19. When officers arrived, they found Sierra Johnson injured in a car; two of her kids were in the back seat at the time. The children were unhurt, police said. 

Johnson was taken to a nearby hospital for help but died from her injuries. 

Police later arrested 27-year-old Joseph Fox in connection to Johnson's death. He has been charged with second-degree murder while armed.

RELATED: Man arrested after 27-year-old mom is shot, killed in NW DC with 2 of her kids in car

According to court documents, Johnson was shot a total of six times in the head, neck and body. 

An autopsy also showed that Johnson was pregnant at the time of the shooting. Johnson's family said she was four months pregnant when she was killed. They did not know who the father was, but told officials that the father had told Johnson that he did not wish to have a child.  

RELATED: After brutal murder, prosecutor urges domestic violence victims to reach out for help

Investigators interviewed several witnesses, gathering images and video from security cameras. Police say a witness told them they saw a man get out of the passenger side of her car, after hearing gunshots. He shot into the car once more before jogging away, court documents say. 

Another witness told detectives that Fox and Johnson had been in a relationship on and off since about 2014. 

According to court documents, Fox was arrested on June 1, 2018, and charged with simple assault and attempted second-degree theft after a fight with Johnson. A witness told officers the fight was over money and a laptop and left Johnson "beaten up." Fox was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days of incarceration. 

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