SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities sought the public’s help Thursday in finding the suspects responsible for the murder of 21-year-old Mimi Barraza more than 30 years ago in San Diego.
In the early morning hours of Sept. 4, 1993, Barraza and a group of her friends were talking outside of a friend’s home when a white Chevrolet Astro van drove to the corner of 39th Street and began shooting at the group, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Barraza was killed when a bullet from an assault rifle struck her in the head, police said. One of her friends was shot in the leg.
Police said the van sped away from the scene. The abandoned vehicle was located several hours later at the intersection of 19th and G streets.
The van had been reportedly stolen the previous day. Bullet casings from several different caliber weapons were recovered at the crime scene and from the van, according to police.
Barraza had turned 21 two days before her death, according to police. She was survived by her 2-year-old daughter.
Barraza had previously won the Miss Teen San Diego beauty contest. She was attending college with plans to go onto law school, according to police.
During the same timeframe of Barraza’s slaying, several other shootings took place that involved the same type of assault rifle in National City and San Diego.
Nine people were wounded in National City, according to police. In one case in San Diego, a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the 3800 block of Delta Street.
Police said it was possible that the cases were related. The suspects in all of the cases were believed to be Hispanic males affiliated with a street gang from Logan Heights, according to police.
Authorities asked anyone with information on Barraza’s murder or any other of the related cases to call the department’s Cold Case Unit at 619-531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the cases.