Six people were shot dead by gunmen in a home in California early Monday in what the police has termed a “targeted” attack.
The victims included a six-month-old baby and its teen mother, police officials said. Sheriff Mike Boudreaux of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the grisly crime seems to be linked to gang and drug violence.
Police believes that two people attacked the home at around 3:30 am Monday. Most of the victims were shot in the head.
Upon hearing the shots, a neighbour called the police, who arrived seven minutes later and found dead and dying people both inside and outside the home.
“This whole situation is tragic, but we have a 17-year-old mother and (her) six-month-old child both of which were shot in the head,” Boudreaux said.
An elderly woman, who also had a head injury, was shot in her sleep.
Just last week, the police had carried out a search warrant at one of the homes leading to one arrest and the seizure of guns, marijuana and methamphetamine.
“We also believe that this is not a random act of violence. We believe that this was a targeted family,” he said.
“We believe that there are gang associations involved in this scene as well as potentially narcotics investigations,” he said.
Two women, who hid in a trailer on the property, managed to survive the attack. Others who were wounded were given emergency medical attention by first responders. One of the injured was given CPR, but died shortly after being rushed to hospital.
People on the property reportedly saw the assailants approaching the property on surveillance cameras.
“They could see two men sneaking onto the property … but by the time they came on [the video feed], it was too late to do anything,” he said.
Some 70,000 people live in Tulare in the San Joaquin Valley, roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
