Jan. 16 (UPI) — Six people were shot to death Monday in a suspected drug-related “massacre” that included a 17-year-old mother and her 6-month-old baby, California authorities said.
The Tulare County, Calif., sheriff’s office received multiple calls of shots fired shortly before 4 a.m. Monday in the town of Goshen, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters.
Callers reported a possible active shooter situation due to the number of shots fired.
Boudreaux said two victims of what he called a “massacre” were found dead when deputies arrived about 7 minutes after gunshots were reported.
A third victim was found in the doorway of a home where shots were heard. Police found more victims inside the home, including one male victim who was found alive but later died at the hospital.
The shooting took place in a residential area of Goshen, located about 40 miles northwest of Fresno, Calif., in the Central Valley.
Boudreaux said the mother and child were shot in the head.
The department believes there are two suspects involved in the shooting.
“We also believe this is not a random act of violence,” he said. “We believe this was a targeted family. We believe that there are gang associations involved — as well as potential narcotics investigations.”
The sheriff said search warrants for a drug probe were executed at the residence about a week ago.
There were two survivors found in the home who hid during the shooting, the Fresno Bee reported.
Forensics teams were on the scene Monday. Boudreaux said detectives have information that they are hopeful will lead to arrests.
