A mass shooting at a banquet hall in north Stockton left four people dead — three of them children — and at least 11 others wounded Saturday, authorities said.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said a family celebration in a gathering space in the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue turned deadly shortly before 6 p.m.
Fifteen people were shot in what officials say appears to be a “targeted incident.” Sheriff Patrick Withrow said during a news conference Sunday afternoon that the attack occurred at a child’s birthday party and the shooting appears to have begun inside the banquet hall and continued outside.
Here’s what we know about the fatal attack:
What happened?
Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, local dispatch centers received multiple 911 calls of a shooting near a Dairy Queen on Thornton Road in north Stockton, officials said. A short distance away, Lucile Avenue intersects Thornton Road; the street includes a mix of small businesses and a residential neighborhood.
The area is in an unincorporated pocket of Stockton that lies within the county’s jurisdiction, so deputies from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office initially responded.
Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered a mass casualty incident, labeling it as “critical.”
Officials said a family celebration was being held at a banquet hall when gunfire erupted.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent said 100 to 150 guests were in attendance.
Brent said early investigations by the Sheriff’s Office suggest the shooting was a “targeted incident.”
Authorities have not released the name of the banquet hall or any guests who were in attendance. But a business matching the location of the shooting recently opened at 1943 Lucile Ave. The venue, called Monkey Space, is the former home of the Kudos Children’s Theatre, which closed late last year.
How many people were shot?
The Sheriff’s Office initially said only that “several” victims were transported to local hospitals after a shooting.
Within hours, Brent said 14 people had been struck by gunfire. Four of the victims died, she said.
On Sunday morning, Brent said an additional injured person had been discovered — although not identified — bringing the total number of those shot to 15.
What do we know about the victims?
City officials and law enforcement personnel said the victims “range from juvenile to adult.”
The names of those killed in the attack have not yet been released, but on Sunday morning, Brent released their ages: 8, 9, 14 and 21.
San Joaquin County’s Office of the Medical Examiner is not identifying those who were killed, spokesperson Hilary Crowley said.
“In the wake of last night’s senseless and heartbreaking mass shooting, our community is grieving an unimaginable loss,” Crowley said. “Out of the deepest respect for the families whose lives have been forever changed — and at the request of investigators — San Joaquin County will not be releasing the names of those who were killed at this time.”
It was not immediately clear where all of the shooting victims were taken. San Joaquin County has seven hospitals, but few have trauma centers. At least one hospital in Stockton had guards posted outside the Emergency Department late Saturday.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Sutter Memorial in Modesto — a Level II trauma center — said some of the shooting victims were taken to the hospital there.
Jacob Frank, a spokesperson for Sutter Health, which houses the Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, said the hospital is treating three adults. They are all in stable condition.
On Saturday night, District Attorney Ron Freitas railed against the rampage.
“Violence of this nature has absolutely no place at any time, shape or form — and children should not be harmed by gun and gang violence,” Freitas said during a briefing.
On Sunday, Mayor Christina Fugazi called the attack a “complete, cowardly terrorist act.”
“Gang violence exists in cities across the country, but this act was a pure act of terrorism,” Fugazi said.
Because the victims included children, some social media posters were calling for schools to be closed after the shooting. The Stockton Unified School District did not announce any closures for the coming week, but did post a message online, saying, “In moments like these, may we stand together in strength, compassion, and support as our community begins to heal.”
SUSD Superintendent of Schools Michelle Rodriguez said the district will do “all we can to support our students and our community.”
“As educators, our hearts are heavy anytime a child is hurt,” Rodriguez said.
To help ensure students and staff receive the care they need, SUSD will have counselors and mental health clinicians available at all 55 school sites, Rodriguez added.
“Our community is grieving, and our hearts are with every family affected by last night’s horrific tragedy,” SUSD Board President Kennetha Stevens said in a statement. “As a school district, we stand united in compassion and resolve. Our students, staff, and families deserve safety, healing, and support, and we will do everything in our power to ensure they have it.”
Melinda Meza, SUSD’s spokesperson, said that the district had not yet been given the names of the children who were killed in the attack, but she said that “we are preparing as it is very likely” that all were SUSD students.
Has anyone been arrested?
No suspect or suspects have yet been identified in the shooting, Brent said, adding on Sunday that “it might one, it might be two.” She could not say whether any weapons had been found at the scene.
Despite comments by city and county officials that the attack was gang-related, Withrow said that a motive has not yet been identified.
The arrest of several people linked to a vehicle with bullet holes is unrelated to the mass shooting, Withrow said.
Authorities were urging anyone with potential information, especially those with video or eyewitness accounts, to call the non-emergency line of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 468-4400 or Stockton Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600.
On Sunday, Fugazi announced that Crime Stoppers was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the fatal shooting. The mayor said she was matching that with another $10,000, and Councilwoman Mariela Ponce was offering a $5,000 contribution, for a total reward of $25,000.
When asked why no other information has been released about suspects or a motive in the attack, Brent said investigators are not releasing “anything that might hinder this investigation.”
“Our investigators are working thoroughly and diligently to ensure that they can find the persons responsible for this,” she said.
What else is being done?
Fugazi said Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office had offered state support to assist in the investigation. And Brent said outside law enforcement agencies are assisting the Sheriff’s Office, including the Stockton and Manteca police departments and the FBI.
Sheriff’s officials said detectives are still at the scene processing evidence with assistance from the California Department of Justice. In addition, the Tracy Police Department, Lathrop Police Department, Delta Police Department, DAI, ATF, Stockton Unified School District Police and the California Highway Patrol have been assisting.
“This is still a very active and ongoing investigation, and information continues to develop,” the department said in a post on Facebook. “With the tips, video, and witness accounts provided so far, detectives are actively working on suspect descriptions and moving toward identifying and locating the individuals responsible for this horrific act.”
On Sunday afternoon, Faith in the Valley — a faith-based grassroots community organization representing families in San Joaquin County and elsewhere in the Central Valley — held a prayer vigil “in this moment of collective grief.”
The event was organized to bring the city together “in prayer and love, and seeing how we can support during this particular time,” spokesperson Tia Barnes said.
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