A man has been arrested in connection to the killing of his ex-girlfriend who was pregnant. Rafiq Thompson was charged with killing Tamara Cornelius, who was pumping gas at an Exxon near a mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, CBS Philly 3 reports.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Rafiq Thompson, 38, for the killing of Tamara Cornelius, 31, and her unborn child, People reports.
The D.A.’s office disclosed the two adults were previously in a relationship, according to a news release posted on its Facebook page.
“This was a chilling murder of a young woman and her unborn child. We will be filing an additional homicide charge against the defendant — Murder of an Unborn Child,” District Attorney Kevin Steele posted, People reports.
The victim and the gunman spoke before Cornelius went to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in the King of Prussia Mall. After her meal, Cornelius went to a gas station close by and Thompson followed her, where the two spoke again before Thompson pulled out his weapon, shooting Cornelius numerous times as she tried to run away. When police authorities arrived at the scene, Cornelius was laying on the ground. She was transported to Paoli Hospital and succumbed to her injuries, according to the D.A.’s news release.
“Everything’s just getting crazy around here, all over Philly, something like that is just unnecessary,” local resident Lawrence Martin told CBS Philly 3.
“That’s crazy. I work right down the street so I never heard anything like that happening in the King of Prussia area,” added Scott Shimkonis. “It’s pretty scary.”
Cornelius leaves behind three children, NBC10 Philadelphia reports.
The D.A.’s office is providing a $5,000 reward for information that would assist in locating Thompson and placing him under arrest. Thompson is deemed armed and dangerous.
Contact Montgomery County Detectives at 610-226-5553 or Upper Merion Township Police at 610-265-3232 with information.
