Tragedy struck in California when a gunman opened fire at a birthday party, claiming the lives of three children, in what authorities are calling a ‘targeted’ attack.
According to police reports, the shooting occurred around 6 PM on Saturday at a banquet hall in Stockton. At the time, the hall was filled with over 100 people celebrating.
The victims included children aged eight, nine, and 14, as well as a 21-year-old. These details were confirmed by Heather Brent, spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday.
In addition to the fatalities, eleven others sustained injuries.
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi was visibly emotional as she announced the tragic loss of the children on Sunday.
“They should be writing their Christmas lists right now,” she lamented. “Their parents should be out shopping for them. To think that their lives have been cut short is unimaginable. My heart breaks for these families.”
She went on to say that the eight-year-old victim attended a local school and had a parent who worked for the Stockton Unified School District.
Counselors will now be made available this week at city schools, the mayor said as she declared: ‘Stockton is better than this.’
Authorities are continuing to investigate after an unidentified gunman opened fire at a banquet hall in Stockton, California Saturday night
Four people were killed in the shooting and 11 others were wounded
In the moments after shots were fired, the sheriff’s office was inundated with calls reporting a shooting and saying children as young as nine were bleeding – and that a 15-year-old boy was not breathing, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Deputies then responded to the banquet hall near a Dairy Queen and found shooting victims in the parking lot while many others panicked and screamed.
Witnesses at the scene then told authorities they saw a lone gunman, who was about five-foot-six-inches wearing black pants, according to police dispatches.
Meanwhile, video from the scene showed a massive police presence as both paramedics and bystanders tended to the wounded. Photos also showed clothing and debris were scattered across the pavement, and bullet holes were seen in one of the roll-up doors.
Nearby, Priscilla Salas told the LA Times how she was at her boyfriend’s house behind the banquet hall when they heard several rounds from a fully automatic weapon and then pops from a handgun.
‘It was pandemonium,’ she described.
Salas said she ran out of her house and saw ambulances converged at the scene, then watched in horror as first responders carried out the bodies of the children.
Police taped off the area where the shooting took place at 6pm on Saturday
A map shows the location of the shooting that has seen four people killed
About 10 minutes after the shooting, family members of partygoers began descending on the crime scene looking for their children, another neighbor told the outlet.
He said the birthday party was for a two year old, and described how he heard people crying that their children could not be found as helicopters scoured the area.
Following the news of the young children’s deaths, roughly 150 people gathered at a prayer vigil, huddling together and holding candles.
‘We want to pray for the families and also for our city,’ said Terry Saffold, the pastor of Greater Maranatha Church of God in Christ.
Authorities now say they believe the attack was ‘targeted’ – and suggested that gang violence was involved.
Fugazi even speculated that the target of the shooting could be a rapper by the name of MBnel as she called the shooting an act of terrorism.
Deputies with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the mass shooting on Sunday
Authorities say they believe the attack was ‘targeted’ – and suggested that gang violence was involved
Police are offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
‘Finding the person or persons who committed this crime is the No. 1 priority,’ Brent said, adding that detectives ‘are pursuing all possibilities.’
‘This was a birthday party for a young child, and the fact that this happened is absolutely heartbreaking,’ she continued.
‘If you have surveillance footage, if you´re a local business here, if you´re in the area, live in the area, or maybe you´ve heard rumors – please contact the sheriff´s office.’
District Attorney Ron Freitas also urged the shooter to ‘turn yourself in immediately.’
He had earlier vowed to pursue the maximum charges once a suspect is arrested.
‘When this individual is caught, you have my promise that you will have the full force of my office’s resources in holding this individual fully accountable,’ Freitas said, according to the Sacramento Bee.
‘Children should not be harmed by gun and gang violence.’
Deputies responded to the banquet hall near a Dairy Queen Saturday night and found shooting victims in the parking lot while many others panicked and screamed
In 2024, Stockton had many more homicides – 54 – than other California cities of similar size, but the rate was down through October of this year, according to city data.
Still, Yolanda Morgande said violence like the attack Saturday night ‘has been plaguing our city for a while.’
She said she found the online discourse about the shooting demoralizing.
‘So many comments were like “It’s just Stockton,” but the violence shouldn’t be normalized,’ she told the Sacramento Bee. ‘We live here. We don’t want our grandkids thinking violence is alright.’
Fugazi on Saturday recalled a shooting several years ago in which ‘seven people were gunned down’ in the city.
‘Families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive,’ Fugazi said.
