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in officers California Witnesses to a fatal shooting at a child’s birthday party have been urged to come forward as the search for a suspect stretched into another day.
Three children aged 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old boy were killed in the firing at a banquet hall on Saturday. stockton Where at least 100 people were gathered. San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said. Detectives believe the shooting continued outside and there may have been multiple shooters.
Eleven people were also injured, at least one of whom was in critical condition, he said. No one was in custody as of Sunday evening, and the sheriff urged anyone with information to contact his office with tips, cellphone video or witness accounts.
“It’s time for our community to show that we will not tolerate this type of behavior, when people break into homes and kill children,” Withrow said. “And so if you know anything about it, you have to come forward and tell us what you know. If not, you just get complacent and think this is acceptable behavior.”
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Heather Brent previously said investigators believed it was a “targeted incident.” Officials did not elaborate on why authorities believe it was intentional or who may have been targeted. He said investigators would welcome any information, even rumors.
Roscoe Brown said the party was in honor of his brother’s granddaughter, who turned 2 and was not injured. Brown, who works for the city of Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention, was there Arizona When he came to know about the shooting, he directly reached the spot. He said a niece and nephew of his were shot, and he knew several other victims. He was not aware of their conditions.
“Who would come in and do that to some kids, you know?” Brown told The Associated Press after a prayer vigil held by faith leaders to honor the dead and pray for the injured. “You can’t organize a party. This is ridiculous. A children’s party at that.”
Emmanuel Lopez told Los Angeles Times His brother, 21-year-old Susano Archuleta, was shot in the neck and died at the scene. Lopez said her 9-year-old daughter was shot in the head but survived. He did not share details about what led to the shooting.
Stockton is a city of 320,000 residents about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of San Francisco. With 54 murders in 2024, Stockton’s murder rate was significantly higher than the state average. According to city data, there had been 34 deaths till October this year.
Hours after the shooting, the Stockton Police Department arrested five people, including a teenager, on weapons and gang-related charges. There is no indication the arrests were connected to the murders at the banquet hall, the sheriff said.
Mayor Christina Fugazi told reporters that the 8-year-old victim attended a local school and that her parents worked for the Stockton Unified School District. The mayor said counselors will be available in city schools this week.
He expressed grief over the deaths of the victims at such young ages.
Fugazi said on Sunday, “They should be writing their Christmas lists right now. Their parents should be shopping for them for Christmas. And to think that their lives are over. I can’t even imagine what these families are going through. My heart is broken.”
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.