Tragedy Strikes at California Family Party: Police Search for Suspect Who Killed Four, Including Three Children
A devastating shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California, has left four people dead, including three young children, and 11 injured. The incident occurred on Saturday night at a banquet hall where over 100 people had gathered to celebrate a birthday, according to authorities.
The victims were identified as eight-year-old, nine-year-old, 14-year-old, and 21-year-old, and all were taken to local hospitals. Authorities are now searching for the suspect or suspects who carried out the attack.
"It's a heart-wrenching tragedy," said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin county sheriff's office. "We urge anyone with surveillance footage or information to come forward."
Sheriff Patrick Withrow described the incident as a targeted attack, but did not elaborate on why authorities believe it was intentional or who might have been targeted.
"It's a senseless act of violence," Withrow said at a news conference. "Our top priority is finding the person or persons responsible and bringing them to justice."
The investigation has revealed that multiple shooters were involved, according to withrow, although he did not specify how many suspects are currently being sought.
The community is in shock following the incident, which occurred just before 6pm on Saturday at a banquet hall near other businesses. Stockton is a city of 320,000, located about 45 miles south of Sacramento.
Faith leaders have planned an afternoon vigil to honor the victims and pray for the wounded. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has also been briefed on the incident and expressed his condolences to the families involved.
The district attorney has urged the shooter to turn themselves in immediately, while authorities are urging anyone with information or video footage to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
A devastating shooting at a family gathering in Stockton, California, has left four people dead, including three young children, and 11 injured. The incident occurred on Saturday night at a banquet hall where over 100 people had gathered to celebrate a birthday, according to authorities.
The victims were identified as eight-year-old, nine-year-old, 14-year-old, and 21-year-old, and all were taken to local hospitals. Authorities are now searching for the suspect or suspects who carried out the attack.
"It's a heart-wrenching tragedy," said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin county sheriff's office. "We urge anyone with surveillance footage or information to come forward."
Sheriff Patrick Withrow described the incident as a targeted attack, but did not elaborate on why authorities believe it was intentional or who might have been targeted.
"It's a senseless act of violence," Withrow said at a news conference. "Our top priority is finding the person or persons responsible and bringing them to justice."
The investigation has revealed that multiple shooters were involved, according to withrow, although he did not specify how many suspects are currently being sought.
The community is in shock following the incident, which occurred just before 6pm on Saturday at a banquet hall near other businesses. Stockton is a city of 320,000, located about 45 miles south of Sacramento.
Faith leaders have planned an afternoon vigil to honor the victims and pray for the wounded. The California governor, Gavin Newsom, has also been briefed on the incident and expressed his condolences to the families involved.
The district attorney has urged the shooter to turn themselves in immediately, while authorities are urging anyone with information or video footage to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.
this is just so heartbreaking... a whole family and innocent kids lost their lives at such a young age 
my thoughts go out to their parents and siblings, it must be unbearable for them 
i hope whoever is behind this gets caught soon and faces justice, but I feel like the community is going through way too much already 
can't we just have peace and love instead of violence? 
turned into a tragedy in seconds. 3 kids under 15 are dead? it's just too much 
. and they're still searching for the person or people who did this... so frustrating 
. i hope whoever is out there with info comes forward soon, but what if they don't? will we ever know why this happened? 
. gotta send my thoughts to the families of those kids... 
. And can we please stop rushing to label this as an "act of violence"? Maybe there was a fight or something beforehand that we don't know about 
. The police are all like "we need your footage" but what if they're just trying to sweep it under the rug? 
... four kids and a young adult just lost their lives in one night?!? It's just so senseless and random... you're at this birthday party, having a good time, and BAM! Some psycho just walks in and starts shooting 
. The fact that multiple shooters were involved makes it even more heinous... who does that?!? And now the community is reeling, can't believe what happened in their own backyard 
i dont get why multiple shooters tho did they even have any witnesses who saw anything? 
we can all send our thoughts and condolences to the families affected 
we gotta be there for each other during times like these especially when it comes to our community
What was going through that shooter's mind? 
But I feel like we need more support for the victims' families right now 
They deserve all our love, prayers and condolences 
#JusticeForTheVictims #ProtectOurChildren #SenselessViolence #Heartbroken
they shd get caught ASAP n face justice 
it makes me wonder what drives someone to take the lives of innocent people, especially kids? 
. Are they looking for multiple shooters? How many people are involved in this investigation? Can we please get some answers?! 
, a family gathering that turned into a nightmare 
, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims 
, 4 innocent lives lost, including 3 young kids 
, fingers crossed the police catch the ones responsible soon 
. It's times like these that make me feel grateful for the people in my life who care about each other and want to help others 
. We need more love and kindness in this world, not violence 
. 11 people are hurt too?!?! that's just devastating