7 hours ago
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Four generations of a family were shot dead in California Monday in what is described as a “cartelstyle execution” at a home known to police for drug activity.
A 16yearold girl, her 10monthold son, the baby’s grandmother and greatgrandmother were among the victims, according to police and family.
Officials are looking for two known suspects in the “targeted massacre.”
At a news conference Tuesday (1/17) Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux did not reveal the names of the suspects but revealed that authorities already had a lot of information about the tragedy.
Last week, police searched the Goshen home and found hiding places for drugs including marijuana and methamphetamines.
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Photos of the victims released by the police
A total of six people died in the attack and three survived.
“None of this was accidental,” Boudreaux said. “It was intentional, intentional and terrible.”
The victims were identified by investigators as follows:
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.
According to Boudreaux, one survivor lay on the floor with his feet against the door to prevent the attackers from entering the room.
“He was so scared he could only hold the door open hoping not to be the last victim,” the sheriff said.
The other two took cover in a nearby trailer when the shooting began.
Police were called by one of the survivors around 3:30 a.m. local time Monday. They found two bodies on the street and the others inside the house.
Boudreaux said the mother appeared to be fleeing the scene with the baby, and this forensic evidence shows the killer was standing over the victims as he shot them in the head from above.
The FBI’s San Francisco office, the US Federal Police, is assisting the investigation, and a $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspects’ arrest.
Police are monitoring the MexicoCanadian border for the suspects, the sheriff said, adding that “border insecurity” has allowed Mexican drug cartels to grow in the central California region in recent years.
“To be clear, not all the people in this house were gang members,” Boudreaux said, clarifying that the 16yearold and her son were innocent victims.
He said the killings “have a similar look and feel to executions by powerful gangs and the type of execution they commit” because the victims were “shot in places the shooter knew would result in a quick death.”
Hundreds of pieces of evidence have been collected so far, according to the sheriff, and victims’ autopsy results are expected on Friday.
He also urged people to check security cameras on their properties between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday for video of suspicious vehicles in the area.
Elyssa Parraz’s grandfather told the Associated Press news agency that she lives with the child’s father’s family in Goshen. Samuel Pina said the baby’s uncle, grandmother and greatgrandmother were also killed.
“I can’t understand what kind of monster would do that,” he said.