NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Local and federal law enforcement announced Friday two people are in custody in connection with the double-murder of two teenagers after a Halloween party last year.
The suspects are 18 years old. However, they were 17 years old at the time of the killings. The San Diego District Attorney's Office said it will petition to have their cases transferred to adult court.
18-year-old Edwin Barrera and 16-year-old Gillian Aguilera were shot and killed on October 28 in 2022 around 11:35 p.m. in the 1800 block of East 17th Street after attending a Halloween party at a home in the area.
"Outside this Halloween party, emerging criminal street gang members, began hunting down what they considered to be rivals. And In order to do that and to really make a name for themselves, they were going to commit murder," said District Attorney Summer Stephan. "Victim Barrera was confronted by them and shot and killed, 16-year-old Gillian Aguilera was a bystander, who was tragically also murdered."
According to National City Police Chief Jose Tellez, the murder investigation led to a much larger investigation involving the FBI. Police say the teenage murder suspects were part of a crime ring involving gang members.
'Operation Broken Bandz' resulted in 9 arrests. Suspects face a variety of charges including Murder, Armed Robbery, and Drug Trafficking.
"These arrests resulted from a joint investigation involving members of the San Diego County Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF). VCTF is comprised of several law enforcement agencies throughout San Diego County," said Sgt. Springer in a news release Thursday.
Meanwhile, police suspect individuals tied to the same crime ring are responsible for the Attempted Murder of two people back in February. It happened at the 2500 block of East Plaza Boulevard about 10 p.m. The victims, Ismael Astorga, 17, and Michael Porter, 20, suffered serious gunshot wounds to their heads, according to police. Surveillance video captured images of someone leaving the area in a gray sedan immediately following the shooting.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
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