Two of the three people charged in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Maria De La Rosa, a rising Latina singer known professionally as DELAROSA, may have stopped the artist, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
The Nov. 22 shooting happened shortly before 1:30 am on Bryant Street east of Tampa Avenue in Northridge.
“Witnesses described seeing two male suspects approach a vehicle that was parked on Bryant Street,” LAPD officials said in a statement released Nov. 24. “Multiple rounds were fired at several victims who were parked in the area in their vehicle.”
Three people, including De La Rosa, were inside the car when shots rang out and all of them were hit, LAPD confirmed. The 22-year-old was shot in the chest and was taken by private car to the hospital, where she died.
The two surviving victims, who have yet to be identified, were also taken to hospital in critical condition.
In a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Times, Det. Siranush Simonyan alleged that Francisco “G Boy” Gaytan and his friend Benny “Player” Gomez, who both knew De La Rosa since childhood, set up the singer.
Gaytan, who was arrested on the same day of the fatal shooting, told the police that it was Gomez who made plans to meet the singer to “buy drugs” on Bryant Street and that the plan was only to rob her, Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.
Maria De La Rosa, who took the artist name DELAROSA, appears in a photo uploaded on her Instagram. (IG/@delarosaaaa)
Both Gaytan and Gomez, as well as the two alleged gunmen, are reportedly members of Bryant Street, a Northridge street gang.
Gaytan maintained his innocence, telling the police he had nothing to do with the robbery. But a search of his phone revealed text messages to one of the alleged shooters, Eduardo “Active” Lopez, Simonyan said.
The text to Lopez, sent five hours before De La Rosa was killed, reportedly said, “Go get a ski mask.”
Gomez spoke with investigators a day after the shooting. He claimed that he was talking to the singer outside Gaytan’s apartment when the shooters opened fire. He said he caught and ran and later found out from De La Rosa’s mother that she had been killed.
Surveillance cameras from nearby apartment buildings contradicted Gomez’s version of events, according to the affidavit. Simonyan wrote that cameras showed Gomez talking to Lopez and the second alleged shooter moments before the singer pulled up and that they shook hands and made a Bryant Street gang sign before the pair disappeared down an alley.
De La Rosa called Gomez as he approached the Cadillac Escalade she pulled up in. Moments later, the two alleged gunmen emerged from the alley and pulled out a shotgun and a handgun, Det. Simonyan wrote.
Police investigate a shooting in Northridge on November 22, 2025. (KNN)
After the shooting, the Escalade sped off. Security cameras, according to investigators, captured a person, possibly Gomez, saying, “Why did you shoot them, fool?”
The alleged shooters, according to the Times report, kept their weapons in a Chevrolet Astro van before entering Gaytan’s BMW where he scolded them, calling them stupid and saying, “I told you how to act.”
Lopez and the other alleged shooter fled in a Honda Civic, probably to Mexico, Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.
Less than 24 hours after De La Rosa died, Gomez reportedly texted Gaytan, saying, “It’s good that they left for tj.”
The LA County District Attorney’s Office listed bail amounts ranging from $2.18 million to $2.28 million when charges were filed, although LAPD said Gaytan and Gomez were being held without bail following their arrests.
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“This was a merciless and targeted attack that stole the life of a young woman and artist and inflicted profound lifelong trauma on her family and the two survivors,” said LA County DA Nathan Hochman.
Gaytan and Gomez were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of second-degree aggravated robbery. If convicted as charged, they face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors also announced the same charges against Lopez. However, it is not known if he was taken into custody, nor is it known if charges are pending against the second alleged gunman, whose whereabouts are also unknown.
DELAROSA, who released the single “No Me Llames” in August, recently posted footage from a recording studio and was believed to be working on new music. Her death sparked grief on social media, including condolences from fans and industry figures.
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