An outgoing 8-year-old who was earning belts in karate was among the four killed Saturday in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in Stockton.
Maya Lupian was a third-grader at Aspire APEX Academy in Stockton, where she lived the life of a typical happy, curious little girl.
The school confirmed her death in consultation with the family.
“Aspire Public Schools is heartbroken to share that a member of our APEX Academy Stockton community, Maya Lupian, was lost to the tragic act of violence over the weekend,” school officials posted on social media. “Our deepest condolences are with Maya’s family and all who are grieving.”
Maya’s sister, Yesenia Lupian, created a GoFundMe page to support their family. She said her sister “loved to dance, sing and draw” and she “loved being active,” including earning a purple belt in karate.
“Maya was the light in everyone’s life, the sweetest soul,” Lupian said.
The child, whose ninth birthday would have been two weeks after the shooting, was caught in the line of fire when assailants burst into the party Saturday night. In addition to her sister, she is survived by her parents, two older brothers and two nieces.
Besides Maya, the dead included another elementary school student, a 14-year-old athlete and a 21-year-old man. The attack wounded more than a dozen others.
Aspire is providing mental health therapists and school counselors to support students and staff grieving the shocking violence over the weekend, said Brooke Nugent, chief of staff for Aspire Public Schools, Central Valley.
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