- Writing
- BBC News World
image source, Getty Images
Three generations of a family died in a “cartel-like execution” at a California home known to police for drug-related activities.
In total 6 people died and 3 survived the shooting recorded early Monday morning.
Among the fatalities are a 16-year-old mother, her 10-month-old son and the boy’s grandmother.
The house in Goshen, a small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco, had recently been raided by police, who found hidden marijuana and methamphetamine.
On Tuesday, police said they are looking for two suspects for this “selective slaughter”.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux did not provide the names of the suspects, saying it would alert the killers, but revealed that authorities already had a lot of information about the case.
“None of this was by accident”Boudreaux said. “It was deliberate, intentional and horrible.”
The victims who have been identified by investigators were:
- Rosa Parraz, 72 years old
- Eladio Parraz Jr, 52 years old
- Jennifer Analla, 50 years old
- Marcos Parraz, 19 years old
- Elyssa Parraz, 16 years old
- Nycholas Parraz, 10 months
a direct execution
According to Boudreaux, one survivor lay on the floor, feet against the door to prevent attackers from entering his room.
“I was in such a state of fear that all I could do was hold the door, hoping I wasn’t the last victim,” the sheriff said.
The other two hid in a nearby trailer when shooting began.
One of them called the police around 3:30 a.m. Monday. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found two bodies in the street and the others inside the home.
Sheriff Boudreaux said that the dead child and mother appeared to have been fleeing the scene. Forensic evidence shows that the killer he stood over the victims and shot them in the head from above.
According to local media, Elyssa Parraz was originally from Northern California and had been living with the family of the boy’s father in Goshen, in central California.
“Let me make this very clear: not all of these people in this house were gang members,” Boudreaux said, adding that the mother and child were innocent victims.
image source, Tulare Police
Authorities are looking for at least two suspects.
He said the killings appear “similar to high-ranking gang executions, and the style of execution they commit,” because the victims were “shot in places where a shooter knew a quick death would result.”
Police are monitoring the Canadian and Mexican borders for suspects, the sheriff said.
The FBI’s San Francisco office is assisting in the investigation and a $10,000 reward has been issued for information leading to an arrest.
Hundreds of pieces of evidence have been collected so far, according to authorities, and the results of postmortem examinations of the victims are expected this Friday.
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