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Authorities said the incident in Stockton ‘was not a random attack,’ while the mayor said the child victims should have been ‘writing their Christmas lists’
Owen Scott,Shweta SharmaMonday 01 December 2025 14:05 GMT
CloseAt least four killed in ‘mass shooting at child’s birthday party’ in California
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Authorities have vowed to find the “animals” who carried out a suspected gang-related shooting at a children’s birthday party that left four dead.
Three children, aged eight, nine and 14, and a 21-year-old man were killed in the Saturday night attack. A further 14 people were injured in the incident that took place at a banquet hall in Stockton, California.
The eldest victim has been identified as Susano Archuleta by his brother Emmanuel Lopez, whose young daughter was also injured in the shooting.
“I’m just upset right now. My brother died in my arms,” Lopez told the LA Times, describing his sibling as someone who had been “full of life and energy”.
Lopez said his 9-year-old girl was shot in the head during the attack, but survived.
open image in galleryA manhunt is underway for the suspects who carried out a shooting at a children’s birthday party on Saturday, which killed three kids and a 21-year-old man (AP)Around 100-150 people had gathered at the party before the shooting began at 6 p.m., according to a statement from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses described the scene as “pandemonium” after gunfire erupted.
Priscilla Salas told the LA Times she was at her boyfriend’s house behind the hall when she heard ‘shots being fired from a fully automatic weapon and pops from a handgun’.
When she ran out of her house, she saw ambulances racing to the scene and the bodies of children being rushed out of the building.
Another neighbor told the Times the party had been organized for a 2-year-old, and that after the shooting he could hear parents crying for their children, unable to find them at the scene.
open image in galleryMayor Christina Fugazi has urged anyone with information about the attack to contact Crime Stoppers or the police (San Francisco Chronicle)Video footage depicting the aftermath of the shooting, showed a huge police presence building up around the banquet hall while paramedics tended to the injured.
“These animals walked in and shot children at a children's birthday party, and none of us should stand for that,” Patrick Withrow, the San Joaquin County sheriff, said during a press conference on Sunday, ABC News reports.
Withrow also confirmed that, while shells and casings recovered from the scene were still being processed, authorities believe multiple shooters were involved in the attack.
“We're confident that this was not a random act,” he added. “They walked into this area probably looking for someone in particular. This was not somebody who was unacquainted with them."
open image in galleryInvestigations into the attack are ongoing but police suspect possible gang involvement (Getty Images)Stockton’s mayor, Christina Fugazi urged anyone with information about the crime to contact Crime Stoppers, during a press conference Sunday.
“They should be writing their Christmas lists right now,” she added, referring to the children who were killed. “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 also branded the attack an “act of terrorism.”
Speaking at Sunday’s press conference, Withrow said a number of arrests were made on Saturday evening but it is not clear if they are connected to the shooting. The five people arrested seven miles south of the shooting were aged between 16 and taken into custody on weapons and gang charges.
A prayer vigil for the victim’s families was held Sunday evening which was attended by around 150 people.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office said on X that he had been briefed on the shooting and that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services was monitoring the situation and working with law enforcement.
