2 arrested in central California shooting that left 6 dead

CNN
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Two suspects have been taken into custody, one after a shooting, in a ‘cartel-style’ massacre last month that left six dead in central California, including a young mother and her 10-month-old son , authorities said on Friday.

The suspects, identified in charging documents as Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, are known members of the Norteño gang, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told a conference call Press. He said the January 16 shooting was likely the result of a dispute with members of the Sureños, a rival gang.

“The suspects and victims have a long history of gun violence, very active in gun violence, gang violence, gun violence and drug trafficking,” Boudreaux said, adding that “the motive is not exactly clear at this point”.

Authorities said Uriarte was injured in a shootout with ATF officers before being taken into custody. He is hospitalized and in stable condition, according to ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. Beard was taken into custody without incident.

Beard is accused of killing 16-year-old Alissa Parraz and her 10-month-old son, Nycholas, as they fled the nighttime shooting at a home in Goshen, a farming community about 30 miles southeast of Fresno. Authorities showed surveillance video on Friday showing the young mother lifting her son over a fence and climbing over it. Both were found dead in the street outside the house.

Along with the mother and her son, the other four victims were identified as Marcos Parraz, 19; Eladio Parraz, 52; Alissa’s grandmother, Rosa Parraz, 72; and Jennifer Analla, 49.

Boudreaux said all of the victims died from gunshot wounds, most were shot in the head, including the 10-month-old boy.

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“It was clearly not a random act of violence. This family was targeted by cold-blooded killers,” Boudreaux said.

The arrests were part of a multi-agency effort dubbed Operation Nightmare, which included searches of several California prisons and 24/7 surveillance of suspects for the past 10 days. DNA left at the scene was credited with quickly leading law enforcement to focus on the pair.

Uriarte and Beard each face six counts of murder, according to Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, as well as enhancements related to the use of a firearm and the fact that the acts were committed in participation in a criminal street gang. The suspects could potentially face the death penalty if found guilty.

CNN is trying to determine if the two suspects have legal representation.

The massacre preceded a string of back-to-back mass shootings in California late last month, including an attack during a Lunar New Year celebration in the Monterey Park suburb just west of Los Angeles. This January 21 shooting killed 11 people.

Another attack on January 23 left four dead at a California mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay. That night, another shooting, this time in Oakland, left one dead and seven injured.

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