NORTHRIDGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Three men have been charged with murder in connection with the shooting of 22-year-old Maria de la Rosa, an aspiring Latin singer who was killed in an ambush-style attack in Northridge, prosecutors confirmed Wednesday.
Three people in a parked car were struck in the shooting, which occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. Saturday in the area of Bryant Street east of Tampa Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
“This was a ruthless and targeted attack that stole the life of a young woman and artist and inflicted profound lifelong trauma on her family and the two survivors,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “My Office will pursue this case aggressively to ensure those responsible are held fully accountable for this senseless and deadly violence.”
De La Rosa, known professionally as DELAROSA, was fatally struck by gunfire. The two other victims sustained critical injuries.
Witnesses said two male suspects approached the car and fired multiple rounds.
De La Rosa was transported to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead. De La Rosa was in the passenger seat at the time of the shooting.
Francisco Otilio Gaytan and Benny LiconGomez, both 27, and Eduardo Lopez, 21, all of Northridge, were charged Tuesday with murder and two counts of attempted second-degree robbery stemming from the shooting.
Gaytan was arrested Saturday and was being held in lieu of $2.18 million bail. LiconGomez, who was arrested Sunday, was being held on $2.28 million bail. Lopez remained at large.
A woman who was shot and killed in an ambush-style murder in Northridge was a 22-year-old aspiring singer.
The motive for the shooting was unclear.
LiconGomez is expected to be arraigned sometime Wednesday, while Gaytan is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7, both in San Fernando.
Deyanira De La Rosa, the victim’s mother, told Eyewitness News she is seeking answers over her daughter’s death. The family says the world has been robbed – not only of a kind, beautiful human – but of a rising musical star as well.
“She was so young… They stole her life,” the mother said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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