STOCKTON, Calif.(US News): A celebration for a 2-year-old’s birthday ended in tragedy Saturday night when gunfire erupted inside a crowded Stockton banquet hall, leaving four people dead, including three children, and at least eleven others wounded, authorities said Sunday.
The victims were identified by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office as an 8-year-old, a 9-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 21-year-old man. One person remained in critical condition late Sunday.
Sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters the shooting began inside the venue, which was packed with more than 100 guests, and continued into the parking lot. Detectives are investigating whether multiple gunmen were involved.
“This was a targeted incident,” sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent said, adding that investigators are still working to identify the intended target and the motive. She urged anyone with information, including cellphone video or even rumors, to contact authorities immediately.
Family members spoke of heartbreak and disbelief.
Roscoe Brown, who traveled from Arizona after the shooting, said the party was for his brother’s granddaughter, who escaped unharmed. Several other relatives were among the wounded. Brown, who works for Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention, described the violence at a children’s party as “beyond comprehension.”
Emmanuel Lopez told reporters his 21-year-old brother, Susano Archuleta, was killed after being shot in the neck. Lopez’s 9-year-old daughter was shot in the head but survived and is hospitalized.
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi confirmed one of the child victims attended a school in the Stockton Unified School District and had a parent who works for the district. Grief counselors will be available in city schools throughout the week.
No arrests have been made in the shooting. Authorities stressed that a separate arrest of five people, including a juvenile, on unrelated weapons and gang charges hours later is not connected to the banquet hall attack.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to call detectives directly or submit anonymous tips to Stockton Crime Stoppers.
