Tulare man shoots woman and baby daughter before killing himself in police standoff
TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Heartbreak in a Tulare County neighborhood after a fight at a house party left a 1-year-old baby and a mother critically injured. Officers said the child's father, 37-year-old Larry Zamora, fired the shots, drove away, and barricaded himself in a home for hours.
Zamora eventually turned the gun on himself leaving his girlfriend and child fighting for their lives at the hospital.
The quiet morning in a Tulare neighborhood was suddenly interrupted by the sound of gunfire.
"We heard pop, pop, pop, and I was like, woah, to my neighbor, 'that sounded like gunshots,'" said Bill Kecke, neighbor.
The bullets pierced through doors, cars, and narrowly missed an officer's head. They also struck fear into families after hearing Zamora, a known gang member, fired them and the reason officers had him surrounded.
"He could have escaped, he already hurt one child, somebody like that you don't know what they are capable of," said Brenea Luna, evacuated neighbor.
Deputies followed Zamora from a house party four miles away. They said he was fighting with his girlfriend and ultimately shot her and their baby girl. He then drove to another house on Richard Smith near Lynora where he barricaded himself in for most of the day. Officers said he ended his own life.
"They feared it. It's just a horrible situation all the way around," said Tyisha Hughes, friend of the family.
Witnesses at the party said Zamora was high on meth. Family friends said they hoped he would be taken into custody alive to better understand what led to these acts of violence.
"Any death is just horrible, shootings and stuff, but I don't feel like he was a horrible person," said Hughes.
Hours after the double shooting neighbors at both crime scenes continued to hold back tears-- too emotional to speak. But they told us the family will remain in their prayers for weeks and months to come.
"I can't even imagine. I would want to die if that happened. I wouldn't be able to handle-- I don't think," said a neighbor.
As of Thursday night, the mom and baby remain in critical condition. The mother has already gone through two surgeries and the baby girl had to be revived twice.
