The morning of May 25, Anahi Diaz of San Fernando woke up eager to finish preparations for her partner’s 30th birthday party. They were expecting about 50 friends and relatives of all ages for the evening’s festivities, which were set to include a DJ and a live banda.
Diaz had no idea the joyous occasion would end abruptly and violently. Just after 11 p.m., a neighbor the couple had never met before, opened fire into the backyard party with a semiautomatic weapon, sending panicked guests scrambling for cover. The shooter – Martin Rodriguez, 61, who lived four houses away – wounded five people, including Diaz’s sister.
Diaz said she deems it a “miracle” that they all survived, especially her sister because it took about “25 to 30 minutes” for the paramedics to arrive at her side – and it would have been an even longer wait if Diaz had been less assertive…