It has been reported that a drug cartel was behind the murder of six people, including a mom and baby.
“Police are now saying they believe a drug cartel was behind the shooting that killed six people in Central California, including a 6-month-old baby and her 17-year-old mother,” The Daily Wire reported.
BREAKING: Six people have been found killed in a shooting, including a 6-month-old baby, in Tulare County, CA. https://t.co/h9UarYJXAH pic.twitter.com/XKml3iOYRh
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) January 16, 2023
Tulare County Sheriff’s Office told KFSN that the shooting occurred in Goshen after 3:30 am. The neighborhood residents called 9-1-1 thinking there was an active shooter in the area. This thought came due to the number of shots that were heard.
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux opined that the crime was likely a targeted attack. “I think it’s specifically connected to the cartel. The level of violence… this was not your run-out-of-the-mill low-end gang member,” he said.
To date, the names and ages of the victims have not been released. Yet, authorities have stated that some were family members.
Boudreaux mentioned that a sheriff’s deputy found the youngest victim, a 6-month-old baby. The baby was found nestled in her 17-year-old mother’s arms in a ditch outside of the home where the crime occurred. The Daily Wire reported that both had been shot in the head.
A third victim appeared to be “shot in her sleep”, the sheriff said. Additionally, three men were killed, one of whom died in the hospital. “At least one of the men will need to be identified using DNA testing because his face was so damaged by the weapon or weapons used in the attack.”
Fortunately, two women were able to survive the attack by hiding in a trailer home, the Times reported.
County Supervisor Eddie Valero said that the deaths were everyone’s nightmare. “These senseless acts of violence, especially with infants, children, and young adults, have no place in our communities,” he said. Police say that they believe there were two shooters and that the crime was in relation to gang activity.
Tulare County has become the epicenter of drug trafficking. Cartels actively move drugs from Mexico to Tulare and eventually move on to the rest of the United States. An open border is one of the causes of the aforementioned crimes.
