From Chelsea Phua:

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot in the South Natomas area of Sacramento late Tuesday night, about two weeks shy of when he expected to become a father.

The young man - identified by Sacramento County Coroner's officials as Perell Marquise Waters - and his 21-year-old girlfriend were expecting a baby girl on Dec.31, said the girlfriend's father, Daryl White.

Authorities said it's still not clear what prompted the shooting that happened shortly before 10 p.m. in the 1900 block of San Juan Road.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the victim and a friend were leaving the parking lot of the Woodbridge apartment complex in the victim's car when three men approached on foot and fired numerous gunshots at his car.

Descriptions of the suspects are vague, but police said they were wearing dark clothing.

Waters was taken to an area hospital where he died, authorities said.

Late Tuesday night, a section of the parking area was cordoned off with crime scene tape as detectives investigated. A blood-stained blanket lay bundled beside Waters' burgundy car. Nearby, Waters' girlfriend, Ligaya White, sat grieving inside a vehicle surrounded by her friends and family members.

Daryl White said his daughter and Waters, known by acquaintances as Marquise, have known each other for about year. Ligaya White moved in with Waters into the two-bedroom Woodbridge apartment about six months ago. Waters previously shared the apartment with his grandmother, Daryl White said.

Daryl White said Waters was a "nice kid" who treated his daughter well.

"He tried to do right by her," Daryl White said.

Ligaya White has a child by another man, but Waters treated the child as if he or she was his own, Daryl White said.

"He provided for her and her first born," Daryl White said.

Ligaya White was doing laundry at her father's house on Tuesday, when Waters called her at about 5 p.m. to ask if she was coming home for dinner. She waited for the laundry to dry, and before returning to the Woodbridge apartment, she and her father stopped at a grocery store off of Truxel Road in Natomas to buy food.

Daryl White said his daughter was shopping inside the store when he got a phone call from one of her friends, telling him that Waters had been shot.

When his daughter returned to the car, Daryl White said he started to drive back to his home, only to be quizzed by his daughter about why he was doing that. When he told her the news, she broke down, he said.

"She kept asking, 'Who would do this?'" Daryl White said. "All she can talk about is the baby's never going to know (her) daddy, never get to see him, touch him."

Today, Ligaya White called The Bee to say that she doesn't know why someone would shoot her boyfriend. He never told her of any threats, White said, and his death is a mystery to her.

"He was trying to get stuff together ever since we found out we were having a baby," said White. "He just settled down."

The couple were living together and Waters was looking for work, she said. She does not know what she will do now without him.

"I just don't know," she said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.