Stockton City Council proclaimed June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month this week, recognizing victims, survivors and the community groups working to reduce gun violence across the city.
The declaration, presented during Tuesday’s council meeting, honors lives lost to gun violence and recognizes outreach workers, violence interrupters, service providers, advocates, faith leaders and residents involved in prevention and healing efforts.
Ana Contreras, program manager for Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention, accepted the proclamation and said the month is an opportunity to remember victims, support survivors and recommit to making neighborhoods safer.
Through the end of May, Stockton had recorded fewer homicides and nonfatal shootings than it had during the same period last year, according to Stockton Police Department spokesperson Omar Edah. The city reported nine homicides, compared with 17 at that point in 2025, while nonfatal shootings declined 20%.
“These numbers represent more than statistics,” Contreras said. “They represent lives saved, families kept whole and opportunities for young people to thrive.”
The proclamation comes months after one of Stockton’s deadliest recent acts of gun violence. On Nov. 29, four people, including three children, were killed and 13 others were injured when gunfire erupted during a 2-year-old’s birthday party at an event space on Lucile Avenue near Thornton Road.
The shooting, which happened in an unincorporated pocket of San Joaquin County near Stockton, prompted vigils, renewed calls for prevention efforts and a multiagency investigation. The case had reached the six-month mark with no arrests announced.
Earlier this year, Stockton was awarded $2 million through California’s Violence Intervention and Prevention grant program, known as CalVIP, to support efforts aimed at reducing gun violence and crime. At the time, the city had recorded 34 homicides as of Dec. 1, 2025, compared with 46 during the same period in 2024.
Contreras said the city’s recent declines reflect work by community members, schools, faith leaders, outreach workers, service providers and law enforcement. She said programs focused on mentorship, mediation, trauma-informed support and youth and family services are helping address the root causes of violence.
Still, Contreras said, the work is not done.
“Every shooting is one too many,” she said.
As part of Gun Violence Awareness Month, the Office of Violence Prevention will host community pop-up events throughout June to connect residents with resources, activities and violence prevention information.
Mayor Christina Fugazi thanked the office and community partners for their work, saying they have played an important role in Stockton’s recent reductions in violent crime.
“You guys are a very important part of that,” Fugazi said. “We couldn’t get there without you.”