August 12, 2026

Mother says wounded pregnant teen had feared her ex-boyfriend

The mother of a pregnant teenager who was shot in the chest Friday and whose baby died after an emergency delivery says the girl had been frightened since she broke up with her boyfriend.

Adriana Beltran, 16, was in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning. The teenager was six months pregnant when her daughter was born through emergency surgery Friday night. The baby died 12 hours later.

Metro Police are searching for Juan Martinez, 17, Beltran's estranged boyfriend, to question him about the shooting.

"She seemed scared. I'm not sure if she was threatened, but she wouldn't talk," Margarita Beltran, Adriana's mother, said in Spanish.

Beltran was shot in the living room of the apartment in the 4100 block of Pennwood Avenue she shared with her parents and four of her five older brothers, Metro Police said.

Margarita Beltran said her daughter moved in with the family about a month ago after living with Martinez for six months. During that month Adriana Beltran didn't talk much to her mother about her relationship with Martinez.

Beltran's family has been shielding her from Martinez since her return to her parents' home, refusing to let her talk to him when he called. Margarita Beltran said she wanted her daughter and the baby to be safe, she wanted her daughter to stay away from Martinez and she supported the breakup.

Margarita Beltran said Martinez knocked on the window of the Beltran family's apartment Friday evening. When her son answered the knock, he noticed Martinez had a gun, Margarita Beltran said. He dropped to the ground and yelled for Adriana to do the same, but she wasn't fast enough, Beltran said.

Adriana Beltran, who arrived in Las Vegas two years ago from Jalisco, Mexico, dropped out of high school, but her mother said the girl had plans to return and finish her education.

Margarita Beltran said her daughter didn't spend a lot of time thinking about the future, but that she was excited about the birth of her baby. Sun reporter

Jace Radke contributed to this story.

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