According to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, at least six people, including a mother and her 6-month-old infant, were killed in a "early morning massacre" in the California town of Goshen on Monday.
Tulare County officers responded to a complaint of shots fired shortly after 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to a press release from the sheriff's office, which added, "The reporting party believed an active shooter was in the vicinity due to the number of gunfire heard."
Mom, 6-Month-Old Baby Shot in Head
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux informed reporters at the site that responding deputies discovered a total of six casualties, including two on the street and one in the doorway of the residence where the gunshot happened.
The mother, who was 17 years old, and the infant were both shot in the head, he claimed, and at least one male was hospitalized but subsequently pronounced dead, as per CNN.
The incident does not appear to be a random act of violence, but may be connected to gang activities, according to the sheriff's office, which noted that it occurred a week after deputies conducted a drugs search warrant at the residence.
Ashley Schwarm, a spokesman for the Tulare County Sheriff, said on Monday evening that while they cannot prove the gunmen were members of a cartel, the sheriff believes it seems to be a "execution in the cartel style."
Sheriff's office stated previously that detectives are seeking for at least two individuals. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux stated that deputies discovered two fatally wounded victims in the street and a third fatally wounded victim in the front entryway of the apartment. He stated that three further victims were discovered inside the residence, Daily Mail reported.
Investigators are investigating for at least two suspects, according to the sheriff, although neither the victims' identities nor their descriptions have been disclosed. Two individuals survived by sheltering behind a trailer located on the site.
They suspect that the murders are linked to a gang. The young woman and her infant were both shot in the head, according to the sheriff.
Monday, Samuel Pina revealed that his adolescent granddaughter Alissa Parraz and her infant son Nycholas Nolan Parraz were among those dead. Pina stated that Parraz and her child were living with her father's side of the family in Goshen, and that her grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all slaughtered.
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California Drug-Related Murder Incident
According to ABC, at least one of the elderly women was slain while they slept. The sheriff stated that DNA testing would be necessary to identify at least one of the suspects due to facial injuries caused by the weapon(s) used. Located 35 miles southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, Goshen is a semi-rural, predominantly Latino village of around 5,000 people.
Eddie Valero, who represents the municipality as county supervisor, described the killings as "everyone's greatest fear."
"These senseless acts of violence, particularly against newborns, toddlers, and adolescents, have no place in our community," Valero said in a statement. Tulare County, a small agricultural region with a population of fewer than 500,000, is known for its role in the international drug traffic, delivering drugs from Mexico to various US markets.
Since at least the 1970s, the county, which is bisected by the 99 Freeway and has a little police presence, acres of open terrain, and a highly mobile population of farmworkers, has been a refuge for drug traffickers.
In recent years, the region has also acquired a reputation for the manufacturing of methamphetamine and the growth of both legal and illegal marijuana. Jose Maria Guizar Valencia, the former commander of the Zetas cartel, was born in Tulare County. He is one of the most notorious and ruthless drug war characters in Mexico.
The Tulare County Sheriff's Office requests that anyone with information contact them at (559) 733-6218.
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