Two of the three people accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Latin singer María de la Rosa, known professionally as DELAROSA, may have framed the artist, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 22 on Bryant Street east of Tampa Avenue in Northridge.
“Witnesses reported seeing two male suspects approaching a vehicle parked on Bryant Street,” Los Angeles Police Department officials said in a statement released on Nov. 24. “Multiple rounds were fired into several victims’ vehicles parked in the area.”
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that three people, including De La Rosa, were in the car when gunfire erupted and all were struck. The 22-year-old woman was shot in the chest and was taken to a private vehicle and taken to hospital where she died.
The two surviving victims, who have not yet been identified, were also taken to hospital in critical condition.
In a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Times, Det. Siranush Simonyan claims that Francisco “G Boy” Gaitan and his friend Benny “The Gamer” Gomez, who have known de la Rosa since childhood, framed the singer.
Gaitan, who was arrested the day of the fatal shooting, told police that Gomez planned to “buy drugs” with the singer on Bryant Street and that the plan was simply to rob her, Simonian wrote in his deposition.
Maria De La Rosa performs under the stage name DELAROSA and can be seen in a photo posted on her Instagram. (IG/@delarosaaaa)
Gaitan and Gomez, along with the two alleged shooters, were reportedly members of the Bryant Street gang in Northridge.
Gaitan maintained his innocence and told police he had nothing to do with the robbery. But Simonyan said a search of his phone revealed text messages sent to one of the alleged shooters, Eduardo “Active” Lopez.
“Go get a ski mask,” a text message dela Rosa reportedly sent to Lopez five hours earlier after she was killed.
Gomez spoke with investigators a day after the shooting. He claimed he was talking to the singer outside Gaitan’s apartment when the gunman opened fire. He said he ducked and ran away and later learned from De La Rosa’s mother that she had been killed.
Surveillance cameras from a nearby apartment building contradicted Gomez’s version of events, the affidavit said. Simonyan wrote that cameras showed Gomez talking to Lopez and the second gunman before Lopez stopped and Gomez shook their hands and made Bryant Street gang gestures before the two disappeared into an alley.
De La Rosa called Gomez as she approached her parked Cadillac Escalade. Moments later, two alleged gunmen emerged from the alley with a shotgun and a handgun. Simonyan wrote.
Police are investigating a shooting that occurred on November 22, 2025 in Northridge. (KNN)
After the gunfire, the Escalade sped away. According to investigators, security cameras captured a person, possibly Gomez, saying, “Why did you shoot them, stupid?”
The alleged gunman hid the gun in a Chevrolet Astro van and got into Gaitan’s BMW, where he berated them, calling them stupid and saying: “I told you what you were going to make it look like,” the Times reported.
Lopez and another gunman fled in a Honda Civic, possibly toward Mexico, Simonyan wrote in the affidavit.
Less than 24 hours after De La Rosa’s death, Gomez reportedly texted Gaitán: “We are glad they are gone.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office listed bail amounts at the time the charges were filed, ranging from $2.18 million to $2.28 million, but the Los Angeles Police Department said Gaitan and Gomez were being held without bail after their arrests.
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“This was a relentless and targeted attack that took the life of a young woman and artist and left her family and two survivors with deep, lifelong trauma,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
Gaitan and Gomez were each charged with one felony count of murder and two felony counts of aggravated second-degree robbery. If convicted, they face up to life in prison without the chance of parole.
Prosecutors also announced the same charges against Lopez. However, it is unclear whether he is in custody or whether charges are pending against the second alleged shooter, whose whereabouts are also unknown.
DELAROSA, who released the single “No Me Llames” in August, recently released footage from the studio and is believed to be working on new music. Her death sparked grief on social media, including condolences from fans and industry insiders.
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