Mother, 39, shot dead by stray bullet as she did laundry in her home with her twin sisterNorma Elizalde, a mother to two teenage boys, was fatally shot in the neck as she stood inside her Santa Paula, California home on SaturdayHer youngest son, 13, was also in the home but was unhurtAuthorities believe four gang members were fighting outside the home when one shot from a vehicle, striking the houseNo arrests have been made and police are asking the public for help
13:21 GMT, 1 April 2014
17:07 GMT, 1 April 2014
A mother-of-two has been shot dead by a stray bullet in front of her twin sister as they did the laundry inside her home.Norma Elizalde, 39, was in her Santa Paula, California house on Saturday afternoon when a bullet was fired outside, pierced a window and fatally struck her in the neck, police said.Her 13-year-old son was also in the house at the time and her twin sister, Irma Ramos, witnessed the killing, relatives told . Elizalde also had a 16-year-old son.Authorities said two people were involved in a fight with two others in a vehicle when one person from the car fired several rounds from a handgun, Lt. Ish Cordero told the .Scroll down for video
Killed: Norma Elizalde, pictured right, was doing laundry at her home on Saturday when she was shot by a bullet that had been fired outside. Her twin sister, Irma Ramos, pictured left, was beside her
None of the men were injured, but one of the bullets hit the home.Cordero
said investigators believe the fight was gang-related and that they are still searching for the four suspects.
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Investigators are now looking for a
dark-colored, four-door sedan, possibly an Infinity.Cordero added that Elizalde and her family are not involved in the gangs and are 'law-abiding
citizens' that have not caused any problems in the neighborhood.
Scene: She was inside her home in Santa Paula, pictured, when four gang members began shooting outside
Fatal bullet: One of the bullets went into the home and fatally struck Elizalde in the neck
The victim's family said Elizalde, who worked for an optometrist and was excited about sending her eldest son to college, was so devoted to her family that she lived next door to her father and siblings.'It's a crush to our hearts, and our spirits,' her brother Flavio Ramos Jr. told CBS Los Angeles. 'That could have also been my nephew.'Another brother, Nicolas Ramos, made a plea for witnesses to come forward and added: 'She was at home. It doesn't make any sense.'He went on: 'This month last year we lost our mother. Our family have been taking it really hard and we were barely getting up.'
Left behind: Elizalde had two teenage sons, aged 13 and 16, and was a devoted mom, relatives said
Distraught: Her twin sister, who witnessed the shooting, is comforted outside the home
Anger: Elizalde's brothers, Nicolas and Flavio Ramos, pleaded with the public for information on the killers
Elizade's distraught twin sister said she didn't know how she would live without her other half.Her death was the second homicide in Santa Paula in March after newly-pregnant Ashley Moran, 21, was found dead in a secluded area of Obregon Park on March 15.Last year, there were six homicides in Santa Paula.Anyone with
information on the latest killing should contact Santa Paula police at 805-525-4474.See below for video
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