'Deliberate, intentional and horrific;' At least 2 sought in Central Valley home massacre
GOSHEN, Tulare County -- Authorities are searching for at least two suspects wanted in connection with the killing of six people — including a 16-year-old mother and her 10-month-old baby — in a mass shooting early Monday at a home in Central California.
The Tulare County Sheriff's Office Tuesday identified the victims as 72-year-old Rosa Parraz, 52-year-old Eladio Parraz Jr., 50-year-old Jennifer Analla, 19-year-old Marcos Parraz, 16-year-old Elyssa Parraz, and her 10-month-old son Nycholas Parraz.
The shooting occurred at a residence in unincorporated Goshen, just east of Visalia.
In a news conference Tuesday, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux identified the victims as family members, and said it was "very clear" that the family had known gang associations — and had been involved in prior drug investigations — were targeted.
At around 3:30 a.m. Monday, deputies responded to reports of gunfire from the Goshen home. The 911 call came from a surviving victim of the shooting, who was hiding in the home and suffered no injuries, Boudreaux said.
When deputies arrived, they found two victims dead in the street, and a third fatally shot in the doorway of the residence, Boudreaux said. Three more victims were found inside the home, including a man who was still alive and given CPR, but later died at a hospital.
Boudreaux said that 16-year-old Elyssa Parraz was found lying dead in the street next to her deceased 10-month-old infant son. According to Boudreaux, forensic teams determined that the shooters stood over the top of Parraz and fired multiple rounds into her head, and her son was shot the same way.
"None of this was by accident. It was deliberate, intentional and horrific," Boudreaux said.
Investigators know of three surviving victims of the "massacre," and are interviewing them, Boudreaux disclosed.
Detectives currently have no one in custody. They are searching for two unnamed suspects. There may have also been a getaway driver, Boudreaux said, but that is not confirmed. No suspect descriptions were immediately provided. The sheriff's office at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest.
REWARD🚨: @ATFSanFrancisco, in conjunction with @TulareSheriff, is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest & conviction of the person(s) responsible for the homicides of 6 people at a home in Goshen, CA. pic.twitter.com/J36ok6ZAUB
— ATF San Francisco (@ATFSanFrancisco) January 17, 2023
Although the shooting was gang-related, not everyone in the home were believed to be gang members or drug dealers, Boudreaux said, including Rosa Parraz, Elyssa Parraz and her infant son, who he described as "innocent victims."
Boudreaux on Monday called the shooting "cartel-like." He defended the use of that phrase Tuesday, telling reporters that although investigators are unsure if it was gang-affiliated, cartel-affiliated, or a combination, they believe it was possibly cartel-affiliated because of the manner of the shooting.
"These people were clearly shot in the head, and they were also shot in places that the shooter would know that quick death would occur," Boudreaux said.
The sheriff said the home was known to the department for gang activity. On Jan. 3, patrol deputies conducted a parole compliance check on the home. And just last week, authorities seizes guns and drugs from the home, Boudreaux added.
Goshen, a semi-rural community of about 3,000 residents, is located 35 miles southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley.