The National City Police Department announced the arrests of two people in connection to a double homicide that happened outside of a Halloween party last year.
The shooting happened on Oct. 28, NCPD said they received multiple 911 calls at around 11:35 p.m. They arrived to find two people, later identified as Edwin Barrera, 18, and Gillian Aguilera, 16, lying in the street. They were taken to a local hospital but did not survive.
NCPD was joined by leadership from the San Diego Police Department, Chula Vista Police Department, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, FBI San Diego field office and the Department of Justice’s Southern District of California to make the announcement.
“I can now disclose that since March of this year, the National City Police Department and the San Diego Violent Crimes Task Force have been working together to solve these cases,” NCPD Chief of Police, Jose Tellez, said.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
It was revealed that after an earlier press conference held about the double-homicide and an attempted double-homicide at NCPD on Jun. 8, investigators received tips from the public that helped lead them to the arrests of two now 18-year-olds. At the time of the shooting in October, they were both 17.
“Outside of this Halloween party, emerging criminal street gang members began hunting down what they considered to be rivals,” San Diego County District Attorney, Summer Stephan, said. “Barrera was confronted by them, shot and killed. Gillian Aguilera was a bystander who was tragically also murdered.”
According to Stephan, the pair of suspects are each facing two murder charges in juvenile court. However, Stephan said she is trying to get their cases moved to adult court.
Local
During the investigation, referred to as Operation Broken Bandz, they also uncovered seven additional suspects who detectives say are not related to the murders, but now face federal and state drug and firearm charges.
“Over the course of the past three months, the joint investigation uncovered that a group of alleged gang members were working together to commit violent assaults, robberies, traffic drugs and commit weapons violations,” Tellez said.
“Those particular charges against those defendants stem from a search warrant executed at a residence in which law enforcement found, among other items, approximately 18 pounds of methamphetamine,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Randy Grossman, added.
Grossman also mentioned they found fentanyl, thousands of Xanax pills, ammunition, multiple guns, including a ghost gun, and body armor.
Five of the total nine people who were arrested in relation to this group are adults. Their names are Ivan Martinez, Joseph Romero, Ricardo Ortez, Francisco Valadez and Edgar Zapata.
“Investigators have learned that this group would conduct surveillance on possible victims, source equipment for their crimes then carry out their criminal missions,” San Diego Chief of Police, David Nisleit, said.
Even with the nine total arrests, the investigation is not over. NCPD said they still need the public’s help to find information on an attempted double homicide that happened in early February. They believe members of this group may be connected, but more insight is needed.
On Feb. 3, 2023, Michael Porter, 20, and Ismael Astorga, 17, were walking with friends to a taco shop near 2531 E. Plaza Blvd. Police said that when a sedan pulled up next to them, a passenger got out and shot Porter and Astorga, both in the head.
They were taken to the hospital and both survived the shooting, but NCPD added they were seriously hurt and will likely be dealing with health complications for the rest of their lives.
Anyone with information is asked to call the National City Police Department at 619-336-8477 or submit an anonymous tip through San Diego Crime Stoppers.
