In the early morning hours of September 4, 1993, Mimi Barraza and a group of her friends were standing outside of a friend's home talking. A white Chevy Astro-Van pulled up to the corner on 39th Street, and without warning, the occupants of the van began shooting into Barraza's group of friends. One of Barraza's girlfriends was shot in the leg and Barraza herself was killed when a bullet from an assault rifle struck her in the head.

The van sped away from the scene. It was located several hours later that morning abandoned at 19th & G Street. The van had been reported stolen the previous day. Casings from several different caliber weapons were recovered at the crime scene and from the van.

During the same general time frame, in both San Diego and National City, several other shootings using the same type of assault rifle occurred. Nine people were wounded in the National City case. In one of the San Diego cases, which occurred on 3800 Delta Street, a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed. It is possible that these and other cases are related.

The suspects in all of these cases are believed to be Hispanic males affiliated with a street gang from Logan Heights.

Barraza had turned 21 two days before her death, and she left behind a two-year-old daughter. She was a previous winner of the Miss Teen San Diego beauty contest and was attending college with plans to go on to law school.