Two gunmen invaded a home in Tulare County in central California early Monday, where they killed six people, including a 17-year-old mother and her 6-month-old baby, in what the authorities said was presumed to be a gang-related attack.
Officers arrived at the home in Goshen about 4am (local time), after someone called the police about a large number of gunshots, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux of Tulare County said at a news conference on Monday.
Details about the crime were sketchy, but in a later interview, Sheriff Boudreaux told The Los Angeles Times that a deputy responding to the call found the infant cradled in the arms of her 17-year-old mother in a ditch outside the home. Both had been shot in the head.
Another victim was in the doorway, and three more were inside, including an older woman, the sheriff said.
All were dead at the scene except for a man who died after being taken to a hospital. Two women survived the attack by hiding in a nearby trailer, the sheriff said. The authorities did release the names of the victims.
“We do not believe that this was a random act of violence,” Sheriff Boudreaux told reporters at the news conference.
“We believe that this was very targeted. This was very personal, and we also believe that it was a message being sent.”
There are at least two male suspects in the shooting.
New York Times News Service