Mark Remmers (Santa Ana police), Maria Del Refugio Mora (GoFundMe) and Brooke De La Cruz (Santa Ana police).
More than three years after a mother of three was shot dead from a stray bullet in front of her family, cops in California are still looking for two of the four suspects.
Maria Del Refugio Mora, 43, was meeting her husband and 3-year-old son for dinner at a pizzeria around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 4, 2022, along South Main Street in Santa Ana. As she was walking toward her family, a suspect emerged from a white Toyota Camry and opened fire at two teens in the parking lot. One of the shots hit Refugio Mora in the upper torso. The intended targets were uninjured in what police described as a gang-related shooting.
Paramedics rushed Refugio Mora to the hospital, where she died five days later.
Nearly two weeks after the homicide, cops arrested Mark Remmers, then 19, and Brooke De La Cruz, then 24, on murder charges. Cops identified Remmers as the lone shooter and De La Cruz as the getaway driver. However, police believe there were at least two other people in the car who remain at large.
"The collateral killing of an innocent bystander, a mother of three, by a gang-related shooting should never happen in our communities, especially during the holiday season. Our deepest condolences go out to the victim's family, particularly to her three children, who will have to spend this and every other holiday without a mother," Chief David Valentin said at the time.
Refugio Mora's husband told local ABC affiliate KABC that he had just made eye contact with his wife in the parking lot. She smiled at him. Then the shots rang out. The husband said he was filled with rage and wants the suspects held fully accountable.
The victim's kids were between 3 and 15 at the time of her death.
"She was a loving wife and mother who adored them so much," a GoFundMe page said. "Nobody deserved this."
Anyone with information regarding this case should contact the Santa Ana Police Department Homicide Section at 714-245-8390. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.