FAMILY’S HEARTBREAKING REVELATION: 15-YEAR-OLD MINA KURDIAN ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY EX-BOYFRIEND WHO WAS OLDER THAN THEY REALIZED

A California family is demanding justice after 15-year-old Mina Kurdian was fatally shot inside her Arcadia home, as relatives reveal disturbing details about the hours before her death — including an alleged early-morning confrontation with the man accused of killing her.

Paul Anthony Cruz Jr., 20, is suspected of shooting Mina on October 22, 2026, after allegedly forcing his way into the apartment where she lived with her family. According to relatives who spoke to the California Post, Cruz had appeared at the home drunk earlier that morning, hours before the fatal shooting.

The family also said they had believed Cruz was around 17 years old, not 20, and might have viewed the relationship very differently had they known his actual age.

A Frightening Visit Before the Fatal Shooting

Mina’s relatives told the California Post that Cruz arrived at the apartment at around 5 a.m. carrying a bottle of Hennessy and appearing intoxicated. The pair allegedly argued, and Mina eventually made him leave.

Family members said Mina sent messages describing the unsettling encounter. After Cruz left, she reportedly made plans to visit a relative.

Her last known message to one family member, sent at approximately 8:53 a.m., reportedly said she was going to shower and get ready.

But the morning took a devastating turn.

According to relatives, Cruz returned to the apartment around 11 a.m. and allegedly tried to force his way inside. When he could not get through a glass door, family members said, he fired through a window to gain entry.

Authorities confirmed that a man forced entry into the residence and that a teenage girl was shot. Mina was pronounced dead at the scene.

The precise sequence of events is still being investigated, and the accounts of the earlier confrontation have been provided by her family.

Family Says They Did Not Know His Real Age

One of the most troubling revelations for Mina’s relatives was their belief that Cruz was approximately 17. They told the California Post that he had not been introduced to the family and that Mina largely kept the relationship private.

A relative said the family would have reacted differently had they known he was 20.

According to Mina’s grandfather, Nick Eftekhari, the relationship had been on and off for about a year. He said Mina had ended the relationship several weeks before the shooting, while Cruz reportedly wanted to reconcile.

Relatives suggested that the breakup and the failed attempt to repair the relationship formed part of the events leading up to the tragedy. Authorities, however, have not publicly confirmed a motive.

Suspect Found With Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

After the shooting, investigators said Cruz fled the Arcadia apartment complex on West Huntington Drive.

About an hour later, officers located him in a parking lot in Pasadena, roughly five miles away. Authorities said he sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound as police were preparing to contact him.

He was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Reports published on October 23 said he remained hospitalized while the investigation continued.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau is investigating the case alongside local police. Officials have not publicly established a motive, and the legal process remained pending in the latest reports.

Mina’s family is hoping Cruz survives his injuries so he can face the justice system.

Remembering Mina: A Teenager With Dreams for the Future

Beyond the horrifying circumstances of her death, Mina’s family wants people to remember the teenager she was.

Relatives described her as funny, happy and adventurous. She loved spending time with family, enjoyed trips to theme parks and dreamed of becoming a cosmetologist.

Her death has left her loved ones grieving a young life cut short before she had the chance to pursue those ambitions.

Neighbors also expressed shock at the violence. Some said they had often seen Mina and Cruz together and had viewed him as polite, making the tragedy difficult to comprehend.

Mina’s family now faces the loss of a daughter and granddaughter, while investigators continue working to establish exactly what happened inside the apartment that morning.

Source: New York Post