Authorities say a 20-year-old man who had been dating the teenager forced his way into the residence before the shooting.
ARCADIA, CA — A 15-year-old girl was fatally shot Thursday morning at an Arcadia residence, and authorities identified a 20-year-old man she had been dating as the suspect in a killing that led investigators to a second shooting scene in Pasadena.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the girl as Mina Kurdian. Authorities identified the suspect as Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. Investigators said Cruz forced his way into the residence before Kurdian was shot. He left the area before officers arrived and was later found in Pasadena, where authorities said he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound as officers were preparing to contact him.
Arcadia police were called at about 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, to the 800 block of West Huntington Drive after receiving a report of a disturbance and possible shooting. A caller told police that a man inside the residence had fired a gun. Officers arrived after the man had left and found Kurdian suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took over the homicide investigation and identified Cruz as the suspect. Authorities said Cruz and Kurdian had been in a dating relationship. Some published accounts have described Cruz as her boyfriend, while other reporting, including information attributed to authorities and neighbors, indicated the relationship may recently have ended. Investigators have not publicly detailed the status of the relationship immediately before the shooting.
Authorities said Cruz traveled from Arcadia to Pasadena after leaving the residence. About an hour after the Arcadia shooting, officers located him near South Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. Police said Cruz shot himself before officers could make contact with him. He was taken to a hospital and remained in critical condition Friday, according to the latest available reports from authorities.
The two locations are several miles apart, creating separate crime scenes for law enforcement agencies in Arcadia and Pasadena. Investigators worked Thursday to determine the sequence of events and gather evidence connected to both shootings. The Sheriff’s Department’s homicide investigators were handling the investigation into Kurdian’s death.
Authorities have not publicly announced a motive for the killing, and no reliable information released by investigators has established what happened between Kurdian and Cruz immediately before the shooting. Police also have not disclosed whether anyone else was inside the Arcadia residence when the gunfire occurred. Officials have continued to describe Cruz as the suspect while the investigation remains open.
Kurdian’s identity was released Friday by the county medical examiner. Initial police reports had withheld her name while authorities worked to notify relatives. The identification provided the first official confirmation of the teenager’s name after news organizations initially described the victim only as a juvenile girl.
Neighbors interviewed by local news organizations said they had previously seen Kurdian and Cruz together, though accounts differed over whether they were still dating at the time of the shooting. Those accounts have not replaced investigators’ findings, and authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the relationship or any events that may have preceded the shooting.
As of Friday night, Cruz remained hospitalized following the Pasadena shooting, and the homicide investigation was continuing. Authorities had not announced criminal charges or released additional findings about a possible motive. Any further legal proceedings would depend in part on his medical condition and the results of the investigation.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.