— ADVERTISEMENT - GO AD-FREE
— ADVERTISEMENT - GO AD-FREE

'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.

'This has broken my whole family': Family mourns death of mother killed in shooting
Myriam Zaragoza. Photo courtesy Jasmin Ruiz via GoFundMe.

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.”


Fernando Haro Garcia has been on strike from the Long Beach Post since March 22, yet he continues to cover Long Beach unpaid. Thank him for his work.


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.

Long Beach Watchdog is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider subscribing.

To finish signing in, click the confirmation link in your inbox.

×

Support the Long Beach Watchdog and get cool features like dark mode, the ability to comment and an ad-free reading experience.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Sign in.