Early Friday in the Dallas area, police arrested a 17-year-old boy suspected of carrying out a shooting at a high school graduation in Fairfield, Calif., that killed one and injured three others, authorities said.
Officials had been searching for the suspect since June 3, when gunfire broke out at around 7:15 p.m. during a graduation ceremony for Sem Yeto High School that was held at Fairfield High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. The shooting killed 18-year-old Jamario Baker, a Sem Yeto graduate, and injured three other victims aged 11, 20 and 25.
Through the course of their investigation, detectives said they identified the juvenile suspect and learned he had fled the state and traveled to Texas within days of the shooting. They did not name the juvenile suspect or offer an alleged motive.
Fairfield police coordinated with the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend the suspect early Friday morning at a residence in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area. The suspect was taken into custody and will remain in Texas pending extradition proceedings to Solano County, officials said.
Authorities said the arrest represented a “significant milestone” in an investigation that had spanned hundreds of hours of investigative work and coordination among numerous law enforcement agencies.
“The Fairfield Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the many witnesses who demonstrated courage by coming forward and providing information that assisted investigators throughout this case,” officials said. “We also recognize the victims, their families, and every student, staff member, family member, and community member who experienced the traumatic events of June 3.”
Though an arrest has been made, the investigation remains active, officials said.
More than 1,000 people attended the ceremony hosted in Fairfield High School’s Schafer stadium before shots rang out. Witnesses described walking back to the parking lot and hearing popping sounds — and soon, screaming. Some ran toward the tennis courts or to their vehicles to hide.
Authorities suggested the shooting was targeted, but said they did not know if the victims were the targets. After the shooting, Fairfield High School moved its graduation ceremony to Armijo High School, another campus in Fairfield.
In the days following the shooting, a school district spokesperson told the Chronicle that the agency’s request for police officers to attend the Sem Yeto graduation was left on a phone line that was not regularly checked.