STOCKTON — Four people were killed, including three children, Saturday evening after a gunman entered a family event with 100-150 people at a banquet hall in Stockton, sparking shock and outrage in the community. Eleven others were injured.
Authorities are still looking for the suspect and asked the community for tips and surveillance footage, but said there’s no threat to the community.
On Sunday, public information officer Heather Brent announced the ages of the four people killed: 8, 9, 14 and 21. Their names won’t be immediately released.
The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m., when the sheriff’s office was flooded with 911 calls reporting a shooting, and saying children as young as 9 were bleeding, including a 15-year-old boy who was not breathing.
Deputies responded to the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue near a Dairy Queen and found shooting victims in the parking lot, and a large number of people panicked and screaming.
The sheriff’s preliminary investigation suggests the incident was a targeted attack, Brent said. Investigators are still considering all possibilities, she said.
“The individual responsible is still outstanding,” said San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas during a press conference. “If you have any information as to this individual, reach out immediately. If you are this individual, turn yourself in immediately.”
Witnesses at the shooting described a lone gunman, 5-foot-6, wearing black pants, according to police dispatches. An area resident told ABC10 that he heard several rounds of gunfire.
Speaking at the scene, Brent said deputies were still investigating whether multiple people fired guns during the attack. Victims were inside the banquet hall at the time of the shooting, she said.
Ambulances transported some of the victims, and others arrived at the hospital on their own, including two men who walked into St. Joseph’s Medical Center with gunshot wounds.
“This is Thanksgiving weekend. This is when families come together,” said Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi. “Stockton is better than this.”
On Sunday morning, the crime scene sprawled across several blocks as the region’s famous tule flog blanketed the city in gray.
The shooting rattled the Central Valley community of roughly 320,000 people, which sits around 40 miles south of Sacramento.
So far this year, violence has slowed down in Stockton. A July report from Stocktonia found that homicides fell 34% in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same stretch last year, and solved cases increased. One factor could be the Stockton Crime Stoppers hotline, which paid out $44,000 in rewards following arrests last year.
Fugazi urged residents to call the hotline with anonymous tips about the shooter.
However, the city has still dealt with a handful of violent incidents in recent years. A serial killer terrorized the community from 2021 to 2022, and Fugazi referenced a previous mass shooting in her press conference, in which three were killed and four were injured in a drive-by shooting near a school in 2015.
“Unacceptable. And what happened tonight? Unacceptable,” she said.
“Tonight, my heart is heavy in a way that’s hard to put into words,” said Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee in a statement posted on Facebook. “I am in contact with staff and public safety officials to understand exactly what happened, and I will be pushing for answers.”
Lee said in his statement that the shooting occurred at a child’s birthday party.
“Guns don’t solve anything especially at a child’s birthday party!” Lynn Carver wrote on social media.
“This news is so heartbreaking. Prayers for these families!” Dominique Williams wrote.
“I truly wish our community could go back to the days where…crime wasn’t like how it is now,” Martice Lee-Rodriguez wrote.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office noted on social media that the state Office of Emergency Services was monitoring the “evolving situation and coordinating with local law enforcement.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, including the FBI. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department is leading the case. Brent said police are asking potential witnesses to come forward.