BAKER, LA (WAFB) – A young mother of two is dead after an overnight shooting in Baker, La. 

Police say the shooting happened at around 4:25 a.m. Sunday in the 2400 block of McHugh Road.

Baker Police Chief Carl Dunn says 23-year-old Cherish Smith was taken too soon, and it’s things like this that make his job most difficult.

“For me to imagine these two young, minor children, one is two weeks old, one is three years old, to grow up without their mother,” Chief Dunn said. “That’s heartbreaking.”

Police say Rhykem Rogers, 28, shot at a dog when the victim tried to save the animal and ran in front of it.

Smith was shot in the stomach and taken to the hospital in a private vehicle where she later died as a result of her injuries.

Rogers is charged with negligent homicide and illegal use of a weapon.