In a “cartel-style” massacre that took place in central California last month and left six people dead, including a young mother and her 10-month-old infant, two suspects were apprehended, one after a gunfight, authorities said on Friday.
The defendants, named in the criminal documents as Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, are well-known Norteo gang members, according to Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux. He claimed that the shooting on January 16 was most likely the result of an altercation with members of the Sureos, a rival gang.
Boudreaux stated that “the motivation is not entirely evident at this moment” and added that “the suspects and the victims have a lengthy history of gun violence, heavily active in guns, gang violence, gun violence, and narcotics deals.”
Before being arrested, Uriarte was allegedly involved in a shootout with ATF officers. According to Joshua Jackson, acting special agent in charge for the ATF, he is hospitalised and in stable condition. Without incident, Beard was taken into jail.
Alissa Parraz, 16, and her 10-month-old son, Nycholas, are suspected of being killed by Beard as they left the overnight shooting at a residence in Goshen, an agricultural village about 30 miles southeast of Fresno. Authorities played a security video of the young woman leaping over a fence while lifting her son on Friday. Outside the house, both were discovered dead in the street.
The four other deaths, in addition to the mother and her child, were identified as Jennifer Analla, 49; Eladio Parraz, 52; Alissa’s grandma Rosa Parraz, 72; and Marcos Parraz, 19.
All of the victims, including the 10-month-old boy, died from gunshot wounds, with the majority receiving head shots, according to Boudreaux.
“It is obvious that this was not a random act of violence. Cold-blooded killers attacked this family, Boudreaux claimed.
The arrests were a result of a multi-agency operation known as Operation Nightmare, which also included 24/7 surveillance of the suspects over the previous 10 days and searches of multiple California jails. Authorities praise the fast identification of the two thanks to DNA found at the site.
According to Tim Ward, the district attorney for Tulare County, Uriarte and Beard are each charged with six counts of murder as well as additional charges related to the use of a handgun and the fact that the crimes were conducted as part of a criminal street gang. If found guilty, the suspects can eventually get the death penalty.
CNN is attempting to ascertain whether both suspects are represented by counsel.
In this screenshot taken from a social media video, police enforcement agents detain a guy who they believe to be the Half Moon Bay shooting suspect on January 23, 2023, in Half Moon Bay, California, in the United States.
The killing occurred before several back-to-back mass shootings in California late last month, including a shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Monterey Park. On January 21, 11 persons were killed in that shooting.
Four people were killed in a second attack on January 23 at a Half Moon Bay, California, mushroom farm. Another shooting occurred that evening, this time in Oakland, leaving one person dead and seven others injured.
Read More:
- Man Dies Following Officer-involved Shooting In KCK
- 5-year-old Youngster Shot In The Head In Manenberg, Teen Slain
