'This has broken my whole family': Family mourns death of mother killed in shooting
Detectives are still trying to piece together who killed 43-year-old Myriam Zaragoza and why. Her family, meanwhile, simply wants justice while trying to come to terms with what happened.
The bond Myriam Zaragoza shared with her family was irreplaceable.
The mother of two was the life of the party everywhere she went, her family said. A showstopper who would make everyone laugh and smile with her bubbling personality.
But that bright light Zaragoza brought to other’s lives was cut short Wednesday afternoon when someone fatally shot her at a home in the 2300 block of Locust Avenue, according to police.
Detectives are still trying to piece together who killed Zaragoza and why. Her family, meanwhile, simply wants justice while trying to come to terms with what happened.
“This has broken my whole family,” one of Zaragoza’s nieces said. “Without her, we’re not to sure how we’re going to continue living this life.”
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Zaragoza was born on December 11, 1980. As a young child, according to her family, she crossed the United States-Mexico border with her mother and sister.
“They thought they were going to Disneyland until my grandma told them that they were going to have to run as fast as they can and not get caught,” her niece said. “All my grandma wanted for us was to have a better life here in America.”
Though they didn’t grow up with much, they had each other and the support of their community, Zaragoza’s family said. And that was enough.
Eventually, Zaragoza grew up and had two kids; Jasmin and Alejandro. They were her pride, and she cherished them dearly, according to Zaragoza’s family.
“Myriam was more than just a mother she was my best friend,” Jasmin wrote in a GoFundMe post Thursday. “Her infectious laugh could be heard from a mile away, bringing smiles and warmth to everyone she met.”
“I am proud and honored to have had a mother like her who raised my brother and I.”
Jasmin has started a fundraiser to help with her mother’s funeral expenses. As of Friday afternoon, it has raised $4,075 out of its $10,000 goal.
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