The Latino music community remains in shock following the death of Maria de la Rosa, known artistically as DELAROSA, a 22-year-old urban artist who was shot in a surprise attack in Northridge, Los Angeles. The shooting occurred in the early morning hours of November 22, when two individuals approached a parked car and opened fire at close range.
The singer was taken to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save her life; the investigation, which initially progressed without identified suspects, already has three defendants named by the prosecution.
How the Northridge attack happened
The shooting occurred at 1:25 a.m. Saturday morning in a residential area on Bryant Street, very close to Tampa Avenue. DELAROSA was traveling in a car accompanied by two other people when, according to initial inquiries, two men approached the vehicle on foot and fired directly at its occupants.
The officers arrived a few minutes later and activated the emergency protocol, transporting the wounded to the hospital. DELAROSA was admitted in critical condition and was pronounced dead minutes later from the injuries caused by the bullets.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) described the attack as an “ambush-style shooting,” a surprise attack that usually involves some advance planning or surveillance. Authorities deployed a security perimeter and began collecting video from home, business and traffic cameras to reconstruct the assailants’ movements before and after the shooting.
Who are the defendants in the murder
The investigation progressed rapidly and the alleged perpetrators of the attack have been identified. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has named
According to the official version, the accused approached the vehicle in which DELAROSA was traveling, demanded money and shot at the occupants. The three people inside the car were injured, although only the artist lost her life: the other two victims remain hospitalized with serious injuries.
Police arrested Gaytán the same morning of the attack, while LiconGomez was arrested the following day. The third suspect, Eduardo López, remains wanted and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Who was DELAROSA: an emerging figure in urban Latin music?
At the age of 22, María de la Rosa was just beginning to make her way in a music scene as competitive as the U.S. Latin music scene. Originally from Puerto Rico, she had recently settled in Los Angeles to launch her career under the stage name DELAROSA, a project that fused urban rhythms with pop influences and her own unique vocal style.
Her first single, “No me llames”, released in August, had generated interest among producers and fans of the genre, consolidating her entry into a circuit where many new voices seek space, but few manage to stand out so quickly.
On social networks, DELAROSA shared fragments of her day-to-day life: studio sessions, soundchecks, rehearsals and small samples of new songs she was preparing for her upcoming releases. Her commitment to the project is a central characteristic for those who worked with her: technicians, producers and musicians agree that she had a fine-tuned ear, discipline in the studio and a special sensitivity to build melodies and harmonies, something unusual for such young artists.
His passing has put on hold a career that was just beginning to take off and was already showing the potential to become a recognizable voice in the new urban Latin music scene.
