TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — Police have identified six people who were killed Monday in what was described as a “massacre” in Goshen, California.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference Tuesday that police were called to a home shortly after 3:30 a.m. for reports of shots fired. Deputies arrived within seven minutes and found two people dead.
According to Boudreaux, deputies found a third person dead in the doorway of the home. As deputies continued to search the area, they found multiple victims around the property. There were victims inside and outside the home.
One of the victims was still alive, Boudreaux said, and was transported to a local hospital where he later died. It was later learned that a 911 call came from a surviving victim who was hiding during the shooting and was not injured.
The victims of the shooting have all been identified:
- 52-year-old Eladio Parraz Jr.
- 19-year-old Marcos Parraz
- 50-year-old Jennifer Analla
- 72-year-old Rosa Parraz
- 16-year-old Elyssa Parraz
- 10-month-old Nycholas Parraz
The 16-year-old and the 10-month-old were found lying next to each other down the street, according to deputies, and investigators believe they were running from the scene. Through forensics, they learned that the shooters stood over the teenager and fired rounds into her head.
The child also died from a gunshot wound to the head. Police say it was a deliberate, intentional attack.
“It’s shocking to the nation. It’s shocking that this kind of violence in our community exists,” Boudreaux said.
Deputies say there were three surviving victims from what they are describing as a massacre. There was one person in the home hiding during the attack.
Police are looking for two suspects and possibly a third that could have been a getaway driver. They also revealed that this family was targeted and that there are both gang and drug associations involved. However, Boudreaux emphasized during a news conference Tuesday that not everyone in the home was a gang member or a drug dealer.
Regarding the history of law enforcement at the home, deputies say that they conducted a parole compliance check Jan. 3. They said it’s a home where gang activity has routinely occurred in the past.
During the compliance check, police said shell casings were found outside of the home. When asked to enter the residence, deputies were denied entry, so they obtained a search warrant.
Deputies say that during the search of the home, they found Eladio Parraz, who already had felony convictions and was in possession of ammunition, a firearm, a short barrel rifle, an assault weapon and a controlled substance. Parraz was able to bail out of jail four days later.
Boudreaux described the Monday shooting as a cartel- or gang-style execution. While he did not definitively say a cartel was involved, he also is not eliminating the possibility. The victims were clearly shot in the head and in places where the shooter would know that a quick death would occur, Boudreaux said.
Autopsies of the victims are expected to be completed by Friday.
Deputies say detectives are collecting hundreds of pieces of evidence and as of Tuesday afternoon are still canvassing the area. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office is asking those living and working in the area to look at security videos between the times of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. and to submit it to the department if any suspicious activity was recorded. There is currently a reward of up to $10,000 for information that helps this investigation move forward.
The investigation is being assisted by resources provided by the ATF, DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and the California Department of Corrections.