A California mother of three was killed by a stray bullet fired during a gang-related shooting, according to reports.
The incident occurred on Dec. 4, when 36-year-old Maria Del Refugio left the convenience store on her way to meet her family in Santa Ana and was struck by a bullet fired by gunmen from a passing car.
Around 4:30 p.m., police were called to the 1400 block of South Cypress Street and found Mora in a parking lot with an upper body gunshot wound.
Mora received treatment on the spot before being transferred in severe condition to a nearby hospital. She passed away from her wounds on Friday.
Investigators found that two teenage boys were shot at by the occupants of a white sedan, according to a surveillance video released over the weekend.
The teenagers fled the shooters by running into the South Cypress Street parking lot, where Mora, “an innocent bystander,” was shot and killed. The two guys made it out unscathed.
“The circumstances surrounding this shooting are currently being investigated, however detectives believe the motive could be gang related,” police said in a statement.
During a press conference, the husband said that he saw his wife smile at him and then, a moment later, heard her scream. She was reportedly walking out of a store after buying sodas as her husband and 3-year-old son were exiting a nearby pizzeria.
“She was the best wife and the best mother,” he said while holding his youngest child in his arms.
Police are asking the public for help identifying the suspects responsible for Mora’s death.
This comes as crime has surged to an all-time high across the U.S., thanks to the Biden administration’s lax approach to crime.
“I try to stay neutral when I look at these things and say that this is a reason or that’s a reason without the politics, but the reality is, and law enforcement is becoming more and more beholden to leftist mayors and governors and even the president,” said FBI special agent and former Navy SEAL Jonathan T. Gilliam during an interview on “Fox & Friends First” earlier this year.
