Suspects sought in Calif. slayings
‘Assassination-style’ attack is detailed
VISALIA, Calif. – A shooter fired after standing over a teenage mother and her infant while they tried to escape the attack at a rural central California home linked to drugs and gang activity early Monday, officials said.
Officials in Tulare County released new details on the shooting in Goshen, a community of about 3,000, on Tuesday, including that a shooter also shot a 72-year-old grandmother while she slept in the home.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said the mother and child were shot “assassination-style.”
The victims, whom authorities believe were part of a family, were identified as Rosa Parraz, 72, Alissa Parraz, 16, Nycholas Parraz, 10 months, Marcos Parraz, 19, Eladio Parraz Jr., 52, and Jennifer Analla, 50.
About 3:30 a.m. Monday, gunshots erupted in the typically quiet neighborhood of Harvard Road. When deputies arrived, they found two victims and a third near the doorway of the home. One was alive when deputies arrived and was taken to the hospital after CPR was performed. He died later.
Down the street, deputies discovered the teen mother and her baby. A forensics investigation revealed she had tried to flee before the shooter caught up with her and stood over her and fired multiple rounds into her skull, Boudreaux said.
From the time a survivor called 911 to when deputies arrived was less than 10 minutes. There were three survivors. One of the survivors hid inside the house while the shooters went from room to room killing those inside.
“It was clear the shooters stood over the 16-year-old mother and shot rounds into her head,” Boudreaux said. “The 10-month-old infant also suffered the same attack. None of this was by accident.”
Authorities were searching for two suspects and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.
The precision and level of violence shown by the shooters indicate a link to a drug cartel or high-ranking gang members, Boudreaux said.
“I am not eliminating that possibility,” the sheriff said. “These people were clearly shot in the head and they were also shot in places where the shooter would know that a quick death would occur ... This is also similar to high-ranking gang affiliation and the style of executions that they commit.”
A drug search warrant had been served at the home just a week earlier. Marijuana, methamphetamine, money, and guns were taken from the home. Eladio Parraz, a convicted felon, was arrested. He was freed on bail four days later. There also is a history of gang and drug activity at the home, but not everyone who lived there was involved, Boudreaux said.
The sheriff said he is confident detectives will find the killers.
“This was a cartel-like execution. We are not eliminating the idea that the cartel was involved,” Boudreaux said. “We will not give up until we find these monsters.”
Samuel Pina said Alissa was his granddaughter and the baby, Nycholas, was his great-grandson.
“I can’t wrap my head around what kind of monster would do this,” he told The Associated Press on Monday.