On December 25, 2021, a family Christmas gathering in Reedley, California, ended in gunfire. Around 1:45 PM, 23-year-old Austin Alvarez opened fire during a gift exchange, fatally shooting his grandmother, Magdalena Alvarez, and his father’s girlfriend, 39-year-old Meisa Rashid. Deputies from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office found both women with gunshot wounds inside the home after responding to reports of shots fired.

Alvarez fled in a GMC pickup but was apprehended near Orange Cove, about 10 miles from the scene. He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after shooting at his father, who was in a parked vehicle and was not hit. Bail was set at $2.5 million and a judge later found Alvarez mentally competent to stand trial.

Rashid was remembered by friends and family as a beloved store owner and a caring presence who acted as a role model and second mother to many. Her daughter survives her. Are there readers who knew Meisa or who can share information about her life in Reedley?