A 53-year-old Hawaiian Gardens man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a shooting that left a woman dead and a man injured.
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Robert Rubio Jr., 53, of Hawaiian Gardens, was arrested at the home of a friend in Hawaiian Gardens, according to a news release from the Long Beach Police Department. Rubio, a man police say was a documented gang-member, was booked into jail on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
The shooting, which happened about 10 p.m. Tuesday on the 3500 block of Monica Avenue, shocked the quiet neighborhood.
"This area, where this happened ... it's very nice and quiet," said Teresa Naba, who has lived in the area for several decades.
The woman who was killed was identified as Monica Barboza, 54, a mother of five.
"They took away a wonderful sister, mother," said her sister, wiping away tears. "I don't know why someone would do that to her, I don't know."
The man who was injured in the shooting was related to Barboza by marriage, police said.
He was recovering from wounds at a hospital. Police believe Rubio may have been involved in a dispute with others who lived at the home.
A relative of Barboza pleaded for justice.
"She's a good mother. She (doesn’t) deserve this," said Raul Estrada.
Barboza had planned on spending Christmas with her sister, who last spoke with her on Sunday.
"She called me, and asked me the kids' sizes to buy gifts for them," she said between sobs. "Now she can't do it because she's gone. Someone took her life away."
