About 100 people huddled in the cold Sunday beneath an overcast sky to pay their respects and remember the victims of a mass shooting that occurred a day earlier.
Several religious leaders prayed with the crowed and condemned the violence that left four people dead — three of them children — and at least 11 others wounded in what authorities described as a “targeted incident” at a children’s birthday party.
Pastor Pam Houston of God’s Church City of David in Stockton said she was in Texas celebrating her grandmother’s 90th birthday when news of the fatal attack reached her.
“To leave a birthday party of a woman that lived a life that was well lived — for me to get the tragic news of my hometown, where there were children at a party and their lives to be taken, where they will not have the opportunity to live to see” adulthood or even become a teenager,” Houston mused.
“No family deserves to endure such trauma, loss or senseless violence,” she said.
Faith in the Valley — a faith-based grassroots community organization representing families in San Joaquin County and elsewhere in the Central Valley — organized the vigil “in this moment of collective grief” to bring the city together “in prayer and love.”
The event began at 3 p.m. in Victoria Square on Thornton Road, about a block from where the shooting occurred at a banquet hall on Lucile Avenue. Much of the area was still cordoned off as law enforcement agencies continue to investigate. Those in attendance included California state Sen. Jerry McNerney, Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi, San Joaquin County Supervisor Paul Canepa and the entire Stockton City Council, as well as other local officials.
Canepa described the shooting, which occurred in his district, as “horrific.”
“I think it’s important that we get together and heal and hold the people accountable for what they’ve done,” Canepa told Stocktonia at the vigil. “This is hard, but it’s great to see all these people out for the vigil and coming together and healing for the families and getting justice for the people who hurt the individuals. And so it’s important we all stand together.”
Saturday’s shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. at a banquet hall in the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue in a neighborhood just north of Hammer Lane, where about 100 to 150 people had gathered to celebrate a child’s birthday, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have not released the name of the banquet hall, but a business matching the location of the shooting recently opened at 1943 Lucile Ave. The venue, called Monkey Space, is the former home to Kudos Children’s Theatre, which closed late last year.
Initial reports indicated 14 people had been shot in the attack, four of whom died. But on Sunday, sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent said the number of those struck by gunfire was 15. Authorities described the shooting as a “targeted attack.”
No arrests have been made, and investigators have not released any information on possible suspects, authorities said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. Despite comments by city and county officials that the attack was gang-related, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said that a motive for the shooting has not yet been identified.
During a briefing Saturday night, Fugazi and District Attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the victims. Brent said at the time the victims “range from juvenile to adult.” On Sunday, the sheriff’s spokesperson said the ages of those killed in the shooting were 8, 9, 14 and 21.
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 school 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.”
The district will also have counselors and mental health clinicians available at all 55 school sites, officials said in a statement Sunday.
“Our community is grieving, and our hearts are with every family affected by last night’s horrific tragedy. As a school district, we stand united in compassion and resolve,” Stockton Unified Board President Kennetha Stevens said. “Our students, staff, and families deserve safety, healing, and support, and we will do everything in our power to ensure they have it.”
When asked whether any of the victims from the mass shooting were SUSD students or had family members in the district, spokesperson Melinda Meza said, “We haven’t been given the names yet, but we are preparing as it is very likely.”
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.
“If you see something, say something. Call the hotline, go on to the website, but please let us know any information that you have,” Fugazi told Stocktonia at the vigil.
“This community needs to come together. This city needs to come together in unity, in peace — and people need to put their guns down, period,” she said.
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