11 Dead, 17 Injured—The Shocking Truth Behind California’s ‘Murder Squad’
For years, the quiet streets of Salinas, California, were stalked by a darkness no one could quite name at first.
It wasn’t until families started losing sons and brothers, neighbors saw bodies in driveways, and kids were too scared to play outside that it became heartbreakingly clear: something terrible was happening — and it wasn’t random.
It was calculated. Cold. And terrifying.
Behind it was a group known chillingly as the “Murder Squad” — a set of five young men, all part of the violent Norteño street gang, under the direction of the even more dangerous Nuestra Familia prison gang. But they weren’t just gang members. According to prosecutors, they were on a “human hunting spree”.
From 2015 to 2018, they drove around neighborhoods like predators, circling people who looked like rivals — or sometimes, just people wearing a color they didn’t like. And then they’d strike. Fast, brutal, and final.
Eleven people died. At least 17 more were seriously wounded.
One mother lost her only son on his way to the corner store. Another man was gunned down while pulling into his driveway, his kids waiting inside.
“These were murders that had no meaning. Just pain,” one grieving father said, holding a photo of his boy. “He was only 17. He didn’t stand a chance.”
When federal agents finally arrested the five members in 2019, the relief was overwhelming — but the pain was far from over. Families had been broken. Lives had been taken. And the entire community was left asking, why?
In court, the truth came out: these killings were part of a coordinated plan to gain rank within the gang. They weren’t just murders. They were messages. A way to instill fear. A way to show dominance. Some victims were chosen deliberately. Others… not at all.
“They were hunting people,” one prosecutor said during sentencing. “For sport.”
Now, justice has caught up with them. In September 2024, each of the five gang members was handed a long prison sentence — ranging from 25 to 41 years, for a combined 161 years behind bars. Some may never breathe free air again.
But for the families left behind, there’s no sentence long enough to undo what was done.
“My son is still gone,” said one tearful mother. “There’s no closure for that.”
Even as Salinas tries to heal, people remember. They remember the fear of walking down the street. They remember the faces lost. And they remember a time when a group of young men terrorized an entire town — not for money, or revenge, or even survival, but for power.
The Murder Squad may be behind bars now, but the damage they caused will echo for years.
Pulkeet Gupta is a dedicated content writer specializing in the field of education and entertainment niche. With a passion for learning and a keen interest in sharing knowledge, Pulkeet has established himself as a prominent figure in the education and entertainment writing community.
