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Six people, including a 17-year-old mother and her six-month-old infant, were murdered in what California authorities are calling a "cartel-style execution."
Early Monday (January 16) morning, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office dispatched deputies to a home in the city of Goshen after receiving a 911 call reporting a possible active shooter in the area.
When officers arrived, they found two victims in the street and a third person near the door of the house. Inside they found the teenage mother and her child, who were both shot in the head. A sixth person was injured and died after being transported to the hospital.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said that two women survived the attack by hiding in a nearby trailer. A third victim also survived the massacre. Boudreaux said that the surviving victims are cooperating with the investigation.
Investigators said they are looking for at least two suspects and believe the killings were gang-related. Last week, a narcotics warrant was served at the home, and officers recovered guns, marijuana, and methamphetamine.
"We do not believe that this was a random act of violence," Boudreaux told reporters. "We believe that this was very targeted. This was very personal, and we also believe that it was a message being sent."
"This was not your run-of-the-mill, low-end gang member," Sheriff Boudreaux added in an interview with the Los Angles Times.
Boudreaux said that authorities know why the family was murdered but would not reveal the motive to the public.
There is a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.