Authorities said Friday that two alleged gang members were arrested, including one in connection with the killing of six people in central California last month after a shootout with police.
Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, were arrested Friday morning and each have been charged with six counts of murder and other charges in what has been called the Jan. 16 massacre in Goshen, officials said.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said the killings in Goshen were targeted, with most of the victims being members of the same family, and that the suspect and two of the victims’ family members were in rival gangs.
A 16-year-old mother and her 10-month-old baby were among those killed.
Surveillance video shows the mother, Elisa Paraz, holding her baby, Nicolas, on a high wooden fence, and jumping over a smaller fence to try to escape. A man in a hooded sweatshirt enters frame behind her, brandishing a gun.
“This family was targeted by cold-blooded killers,” Boudreaux said.
Killed in the shootout were: Eladio Paraz, 52; Marcos Paraz, 19; Jennifer Anala, 49; Rosa Paraz, 72; Alyssa Paraz, 16; and Nikolas, who was 10 months old.
Boudreaux said that Uriarte and Beard are members of the Norteño gang, and that two members of the Paraz family were members of the Sureno gang. The two gangs are rivals, he said.
“However, with that being said, the motive is not at all clear at this point,” Boudreaux said.
Authorities said Beard was arrested by deputies and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Visalia and three locations on warrants in Goshen around 6 a.m.
In Goshen, Uriarte fired at ATF agents and was shot, according to authorities. The sheriff said he was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
At Friday’s news conference, chilling 911 call audio was played in which a woman tells the dispatcher that her boyfriend was shot, and to send help.
“They’re still shooting,” said the woman hiding in the trailer. Moments later, she exclaims, “They’re coming back. They’re coming back!” and “Please hurry up!”
Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Sanchez said investigators believe Beard killed the teenage mother and her child. Boudreaux said they were found on the street and shot in the back of the head.
The sheriff said one of the other women killed was shot in the head and investigators believe she was shot in her sleep. The other was shot in a kneeling position, he said.
The charges against Uriarte and Beard could carry the death penalty if convicted, but Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said no ruling has been made.
He could also face federal charges. Josh Jackson, special agent in charge of the ATF’s San Francisco division, said Uriarte could be charged with assault on a federal agent for Friday’s shooting.
Online court records did not show an attorney for either person as of Friday night.