Police link 1993 murder of Miss Teen San Diego Mimi Barraza to broader shooting spree
Investigators say the fatal shooting may be part of a series of attacks tied to the same rifle and a Logan Heights gang, decades after the crime.
San Diego police say the 1993 killing of Mimi Barraza, Miss Teen San Diego, is being revisited as investigators pursue potential links to a broader string of shootings from the early 1990s. Barraza, two days shy of her 21st birthday, was shot outside a home in the early hours of Sept. 4, 1993.
According to investigators, a white Chevrolet Astro-Van pulled up and a gunman opened fire, striking Barraza in the head and killing her. The van sped away from 1600 South 39th Street and was found several hours later at the intersection of 19th and G Street. The vehicle had been reported stolen the day before, and police recovered casings from several calibers in the van as well as at the crime scene.
Now, 32 years later, police say Barraza’s case could be part of a crime spree in which about a dozen people were shot in the area around the same period. Police told Daily Mail that the shootings occurred with the same type of assault rifle used in Barraza’s murder. In one case, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead and nine people were wounded in National City, roughly 10 minutes from San Diego.
The suspects in the broader set of shootings were believed to be Hispanic males affiliated with a street gang from Logan Heights, authorities have indicated. The new direction in the investigation comes as researchers and investigators pore over cold cases from that era, seeking to determine whether a coordinated pattern existed and who may have been responsible.
Barraza’s mother, Benita Perez, told NBC 7 San Diego, "Know something, see something, say something. Help us. Help the loved ones that need the justice for our family, for someone that you love." Perez previously shared memories of her daughter publicly and, in a note marking her daughter’s birthday, posted on social media: "Happy Heavenly Birthday to my Beautiful daughter Mimi. May all the Angels sing and dance to celebrate your day. Today we love and miss you so very much. Love, Mamita and family."
San Diego police have asked anyone with information about Barraza’s murder or the related cold cases to contact the Cold Case Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477, which is offering up to a $1,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.