2 Teen-Agers Held in Killing of Echo Park Mother by Mistake

Two teen-age gang members were arrested Saturday on suspicion of the mistaken-identity killing of an Echo Park mother, who was shot when she opened her front door last week, Los Angeles police said.

The youths, 15 and 16, were arrested early Saturday at their homes in an area just west of downtown, Detective Emmanuel Hernandez said. The names of the youths, who police said belong to allied gangs, were withheld because of their ages.

Hernandez, of the anti-gang task force CRASH, said the boys allegedly shot and killed Guadalupe Barraza, 40, at her home in the 1600 block of Morton Avenue at about 8:45 p.m. Monday.

He said some young men approached Barraza’s home, called out her 18-year-old son’s name and then gunned her down when she opened the door.

Police initially linked the shooting to a dispute the Barraza family had with youths in the neighborhood. But Saturday, Hernandez said investigators now believe that it was “a case of mistaken identity.”

He said detectives from the anti-gang Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums unit still do not know why the boys wanted to shoot anyone.

Both teen-agers were booked at the Eastlake Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder, Hernandez said. Detectives were also looking for other youths who might have been involved in the slaying.