A 15-year-old girl was shot and killed inside an Arcadia apartment Thursday morning by a 20-year-old man she had been dating, who later sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an encounter with police in Pasadena, authorities said.
The violent sequence unfolded on October 22, 2026, beginning with an emergency call around 11 a.m. regarding a disturbance on the 800 block of West Huntington Drive in Arcadia, according to the Arcadia Police Department. The caller reported that a man inside a residence had fired a gun, prompting officers to rush to the apartment complex.
When police entered the home, they discovered a juvenile female suffering from a gunshot wound (as Arcadia police reported). The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified her as 15-year-old Mina Kurdian.
Investigation Into Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. and the Forced Entry in Arcadia
Investigators determined that the gunman had forced his way into the apartment where the teenager lived with her family (according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department). Authorities identified the suspect as 20-year-old Paul Anthony Cruz Jr., noting that he and Kurdian had been in a dating relationship.
Neighbor Daisy Valdez recounted hearing the harrowing moments from nearby. We heard a woman screaming, and we thought like, ‘Oh, are the neighbors just fighting?’ And then we heard the helicopters. We heard the cops. We came outside, and we saw the windows that were like blown out and shattered,
Valdez told NBC4 Los Angeles.
By the time officers arrived at the Huntington Drive residence, Cruz had already fled the scene. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Division stepped in to lead the investigation alongside local police agencies.
Pasadena Police Encounter and Self-Inflicted Shooting on South Arroyo Parkway
Roughly one hour after the initial bloodshed in Arcadia, authorities located Cruz five miles away in Pasadena. Pasadena Police Department officers tracked him down near the intersection of South Arroyo Parkway and East Glenarm Street, where crime-scene tape soon blocked off a parking lot near a Petco and surrounding businesses (as noted in regional reports).
Eyewitnesses near the auto repair shops across the street described hearing a sudden shot as police converged on the area. Michael Amini, manager at Alliance Auto Body Works, watched the unfolding scene from his window.
We look out the window, there’s this guy, he’s laying face down on the floor.
Michael Amini, manager at Alliance Auto Body Works, via KABC
According to Pasadena Chief Communications Officer Lisa Derderian, Pasadena police officers did not fire their weapons. Investigators stated that Cruz shot himself just as officers were preparing to contact him (as the Sheriff’s Department detailed).
Another witness, Edgar Perez, described the tense final moments before the suspect pulled the trigger. They tried to arrest him. They tried to get his attention, and before they reached out to him, he took a gun out and shot himself,
Perez told NBC Los Angeles.
Cruz Remains in Critical Condition After Shooting
Following the self-inflicted shooting, an officer immediately administered lifesaving measures, including CPR, until Pasadena Fire Department paramedics arrived (according to Pasadena Police Lieutenant Thomas Blanchard). Cruz was rushed to a local hospital, where he remained in critical condition.
Neighbors interviewed near the Arcadia apartment expressed profound shock over the tragedy, remembering Kurdian’s family and noting that the suspect had frequently been seen around the home. Investigators have not yet released a definitive motive for the attack, and LASD Lieutenant German Ochoa noted that We won’t be releasing any information regarding the victim’s background at this time,
NewsCord reported.
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information regarding the shootings to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips can be directed to Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477 or submitted online through the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers website.