Two arrested in Tulare County massacre investigation. One suspect shot during gunfight with ATF

Less than a month after six people — including a 10-month-old baby — were killed in a brutal cartel-style massacre, two men were arrested in a series of early morning raids law enforcement dubbed “Operation Nightmare.”

The raids were carried out in three locations in Visalia and Goshen on Friday morning.

One of the suspects, 35-year-old Angel Uriarte of Goshen, was shot during a gunfight with ATF agents. He was taken to an area hospital for surgery and was expected to survive.

The other suspect, 25-year-old Noah Beard of Visalia, was arrested without incident.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux during a news conference later Friday morning in Visalia praised the coordination and support of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

“Bringing a case like this together in less than 30 days,” he said, “it’s unheard of.”

Norteño-Sureño gang conflict

Both men have a long history of gang violence and narcotics dealings and are validated members of the Norteño gang. The operation also included cooperation with several state prisons, which targeted eight cells and 16 inmates linked to the Nuestra Familia prison gang.

Detectives believe that two the six victims who were killed had ties to the Sureño gang and the shooting may have been part of a rivalry, though a clear motive is still unknown, Boudreaux said.

The two men were each charged with six counts of murder with special allegations. Boudreaux said Uriarte also is likely to face federal charges for assault on a federal officer. Investigators identified Beard as the suspect accused of killing a 16-year-old mother and her baby.

Both are expected to be arraigned early next week and could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty, according to Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward.

“The fight for justice has just begun,” Ward said at Friday’s news conference.

Operation Nightmare targets Goshen massacre suspects

The arrests came after extensive (and ongoing) evidence-gathering at the scene of the murders, and surveillance of the two suspects, which has been around-the-clock and ongoing since Jan. 23.

“We knew every move they were making,” Boudreaux said, adding that investigators were certain the suspects weren’t going to try to flee the country.

“We had them under our wing where we wanted them.”

During the news conference, the sheriff’s office laid out a timeline for the killings.

The shooters barged into a family compound on Harvest Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 16 and began hunting and killing. Six people including a 72-year-old grandmother in her bed, a 16-year-old mother and her infant were killed; three others at the home that morning managed to hide and survive.

The coroner’s office identified the dead as Rosa Parraz, 72; Marcos Parraz, 19; Eladio Parraz, 52; Jennifer Analla, 50; Alissa Parraz, 16; and 10-month-old Nycholas Parraz.

Boudreaux said Friday that Eladio Parraz was shot first, followed by his nephew, Marcos, who was shot in the head.

Rosa Parraz was getting out of bed when she was shot, also in the head.

The sheriff also shared new evidence from the day of the murder, including a 911 call from one of the survivors and enhanced video footage of one of the victims, Alissa Parraz, as she tried to escape over a fence with her son.

She had the baby clutched in her arms when she was caught and shot in the back of the head, according to the sheriff.

Renewed call for death penalty

Both Boudreaux and DA Ward said that while the perpetrators have been arrested, the case is not closed. Each made a point of calling for Gov. Gavin Newsom to revisit his decision on the death penalty and to lift the moratorium on capital punishment in these kinds of extreme cases.

Life without the possibility of parole doesn’t always mean just that, Ward said.

“Justice is a complicated proposition in California right now.”

Bee news services contributed to this story.