Rising Latin singer gunned down in L.A. may have been set up by friends

Two of the three men accused in the fatal shooting of rising Latin singer Maria De La Rosa, 22, known professionally as DELAROSA, may have set the artist up, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.

The Nov. 22 shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. on Bryant Street east of Tampa Boulevard in Northridge.

“Witnesses described seeing two male suspects approaching a parked vehicle on Bryant Street,” LAPD officials said in a statement on Nov. 24. he said. “Several shots were fired at several victims who were parked in the area in their vehicles.”

LAPD confirmed that three people, including De La Rosa, were inside the car when gunfire erupted and all were shot. A 22-year-old young man was shot in the chest and died while being taken to the hospital in a private vehicle.

The two surviving victims, who have not yet been identified, were also hospitalized in critical condition.

In the search warrant statement obtained TimesDet. Siranush Simonyan claimed that Francisco “G Boy” Gaytan and his friend Benny “Player” Gomez, who had known De La Rosa since his childhood, set a trap for the singer.

Simonyan wrote in his statement that Gaytan, who was arrested the same day as the fatal shooting, told police that Gomez was the one who planned to meet the singer on Bryant Street to “buy drugs” and that the plan was simply to rob him.

Gaytan and Gomez, as well as the two alleged gunmen, are reportedly members of the Northridge street gang Bryant Street.

Gaytan maintained his innocence, telling police he had nothing to do with the robbery. However, Simonyan said that a search of his phone revealed text messages belonging to the alleged attacker, Eduardo “Active” Lopez.

It was reported that the message sent to Lopez five hours ago for the murder of De La Rosa read, “Go buy a ski mask.”

Gomez spoke to investigators the day after the shooting. He claimed that he was talking to the singer in front of Gaytan’s house when the attackers opened fire. He said he ducked and ran and later learned from De La Rosa’s mother that he had been killed.

Security cameras from a nearby apartment building contradicted Gomez’s account of the incident, according to the affidavit. Simonyan wrote that the cameras showed Gomez talking to Lopez and the second alleged attacker appearing before the singer stood up, shook Gomez’s hands and made a gang sign on Bryant Street before the pair disappeared down an alley.

De La Rosa called Gomez as he approached the Cadillac Escalade where he stopped. Moments later, two alleged gunmen emerged from the alley and pulled out a shotgun and a handgun named Det. Simonyan wrote.

Following the gunshots, the Escalade sped away. According to investigators, security cameras captured a person, possibly Gomez, yelling, “Why did you shoot them, idiot?” Then he caught it.

The alleged gunmen hid their guns in a Chevrolet Astro van before getting into Gaytan’s BMW, where Gaytan berated them, calling them idiots and saying, “I told you what this would be like,” The Times reported.

In his statement, Simonyan wrote that Lopez and the other attacker probably fled to Mexico in a Honda Civic.

Less than 24 hours after De La Rosa’s death, Gomez reportedly texted Gaytan and said, “Good thing they went to TJ.”

The LA County District Attorney’s Office listed bail amounts ranging from $2.18 million to $2.28 million when the charges were filed, but the LAPD said Gaytan and Gomez were being held without bail following their arrest.

According to TMZ, a man and a woman were found dead in director Rob Reiner’s Brentwood home.

“This was a brutal and targeted attack that stole the life of a young woman and artist and created profound lifelong trauma for her family and two survivors,” said LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Gaytan and Gomez were each charged with one count of felony murder and two counts of aggravated second-degree robbery. If convicted as charged, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole.

Prosecutors leveled the same accusations against Lopez. However, it is not known whether he has been taken into custody or not, and it is not known whether the investigation continues against the second armed attacker, whose whereabouts are unknown.

DELAROSAThe band, which released the single “No Me Llames” in August, had recently released footage from a recording studio and was believed to be working on new music. His death sparked grief on social media, including condolences from fans and industry figures.

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