Investigators urge witnesses of the deadly shooting at a child's party
in California to come forward
[December 01, 2025]
By SOPHIE AUSTIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in California urged witnesses of a
deadly shooting at a child's birthday party to come forward as the
search for a suspect stretched into another day.
Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed Saturday
when gunfire broke out at a banquet hall in Stockton where at least 100
people were gathered, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said.
Detectives believe the gunfire continued outside and there may have been
multiple shooters.
Eleven people were also wounded, with at least one in critical
condition, he said. No one was in custody by Sunday evening, and the
sheriff urged anyone with information to contact his office with tips,
cellphone video or witness accounts.
“This is a time for our community to show that we will not put up with
this type of behavior, when people will just walk in and kill children,”
Withrow said. “And so if you know anything about this, you have to come
forward and tell us what you know. If not, you just become complacent
and think this is acceptable behavior.”
Sheriff's spokesperson Heather Brent said earlier that investigators
believe it was a “targeted incident." Officials did not elaborate on why
authorities believe it was intentional or who might have been targeted.
She said investigators would welcome any information, “even rumors.”
Roscoe Brown said the party was in honor of his brother's granddaughter,
who turned 2 and was uninjured. Brown, who works for the city of
Stockton's Office of Violence Prevention, was in Arizona when he learned
about the shooting and drove straight to the scene. He said a niece and
nephew of his were shot, and he knows several other victims. He didn't
have information about their conditions.
“Who would come and do that to some kids, you know?” Brown told The
Associated Press following a vigil organized by faith leaders to honor
the dead and pray for the wounded. “You can’t shoot up a party. That’s
senseless. A kid's party, at that.”
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Investigators examine the scene of a mass shooting Sunday, Nov. 30,
2025, in Stockton, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Emmanuel Lopez told the Los Angeles Times his brother, 21-year-old
Susano Archuleta, was shot in the neck and died at the scene. Lopez
said his 9-year-old daughter was shot in the head but survived. He
didn't share details about what led up to the shooting.
Stockton is a city of 320,000 residents about 80 miles (130
kilometers) east of San Francisco. With 54 homicides in 2024,
Stockton’s homicide rate was significantly higher than the state
average. As of October, there had been 34 this year, according to
city data.
Hours after the shooting, the Stockton Police Department arrested
five people, including a juvenile, on weapons and gang-related
charges. There was no indication that the arrests were connected to
the killings at the banquet hall, the sheriff said.
Mayor Christina Fugazi told reporters that the 8-year-old victim
attended a local school and had a parent who worked for the Stockton
Unified School District. The mayor said counselors would be
available this week at city schools.
She expressed anguish over the loss of victims so young.
“They should be writing their Christmas lists right now. Their
parents should be out shopping for them for Christmas. And to think
that their lives are over. I can’t even begin to imagine what these
families are going through. Breaks my heart,” Fugazi said on Sunday.
____
Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Ed White in
Detroit contributed to this report.
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