22yo Latin singer DELAROSA executed in Los Angeles, detectives baffled, fans distraught

22-year-old Maria de la Rosa, also known as the Latin musician DELAROSA, was an emerging star in the Latin music scene. She’d garnered 40,000 followers on Instagram and had just released her debut single ‘No Me Llames’.

Now she’s dead. On early Saturday morning, de la Rosa was sitting in a car with two men near Bryant Street, east of Tampa Avenue in Northridge, Los Angeles, when two unidentified men approached the vehicle. They opened fire and riddled the car with bullets.

All three people inside were hit, with de la Rosa rushed to the hospital in emergency condition, where she later died of her injuries. The other victims appear to have survived with critical injuries, but the LAPD isn’t confirming their exact condition. The incident is only being publicized now as, apparently, her identity wasn’t established until yesterday.

The perpetrators and exact motive are unknown, but the LAPD’s Officer K. Terzes confirmed that “The incident is believed to be gang-related.” It’s also unknown whether de la Rosa was the target of the attack or merely collateral damage for the assassination of one of the two men in the car with her.

Tributes flood in

Tributes from fans and those who knew her have flooded in on her Instagram. One particularly touching message came from someone who appears to have been her former dance teacher:

“I still remember when you came to my class and you always left with that smile that lit up the whole room. It filled my heart to see you arrive, to see you dance, to see you happy.

You were a little angel when you were a little girl. You had that natural ability to excel at what you did, especially in dancing. When I saw you in class with your mommy, I enjoyed your beautiful personality so much: always kind, sweet, funny, with that angelic attitude that made you unique and precious. It hurts in my soul to think that you were gone so young.”

Another person who seems to have known her personally sounds shattered:

“i can’t believe this…my f**ken savior, my everything, my fkn family bro, once i seen mamas story i didn’t waste a second going straight to you baby…you broke my f**ken heart with this dela. i needed you so much baby. what tfk do i do without you now bro…you saved me baby. im in so much pain right now i never imagined a life without you. my heart is shattered heartbroken.”

We await further developments on the case and can only hope the shooters are apprehended soon.