On December 1st (Monday), two days after the party shooting incident in Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, the identity of a 21-year-old victim has been confirmed. Patrice Williams, the mother of the two-year-old girl whose birthday party was being celebrated, revealed some details of the case in an interview.
Williams stated that she had organized the party to celebrate her daughter’s birthday, with over a hundred people in attendance. Around 6 p.m., as everyone gathered to cut the cake, gunshots rang out. Williams initially thought it was a balloon popping. She mentioned not being able to see the shooter clearly and described the suddenness of the event, with everyone dropping to the ground after the gunshots.
Fortunately, Williams’ daughter was unharmed, but her sister, cousin, and three friends were shot. The father of the children lost two nieces in the incident. The grieving mother remarked, “The perpetrator should go to jail, they belong in hell.”
The shooting resulted in the deaths of four individuals (three of whom were minors) and 11 people were injured. The deceased victims were aged 8, 9, 14, and 21.
The 21-year-old victim, Susano Archuleta, was fatally shot in the neck and was identified on the spot by relatives. His aunt, Patricia Flores, described him as a good boy who had gone to attend a friend’s daughter’s birthday party.
“Why would someone do this (shoot)? If you are angry, why take it out on innocent people?” Flores questioned, noting that her nieces and children were also present at the party and luckily took cover in the bathroom when the bullets started flying.
The 8-year-old victim was a third-grade student in Stockton Unified School District, confirmed by district superintendent Michelle Rodriguez in a statement on Sunday. The district expressed mourning alongside the families of the students and the entire community.
Reportedly, the 14-year-old victim, African American boy Amari Peterson, was a resident of Modesto, the county seat of Stanislaus County, located approximately 50 kilometers from Stockton.
Authorities in San Joaquin County stated that the age of the injured ranged from 8 to 30 years old, without providing specific details. One person was severely injured, while three adults were in stable condition, and some of the wounded had already been discharged from the hospital. Witnesses near the scene at the time of the incident reported that the gunfire lasted for over a minute, with bullets even hitting nearby homes, narrowly missing individuals.
Investigations into the shooting incident are ongoing by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, Stockton Police Department, Manteca Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
On Monday, in addition to Stockton Mayor announcing a $25,000 reward, the FBI Sacramento Field Office also issued a statement offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect.
Authorities urge the public to provide any leads and information by contacting the San Joaquin Police Department at (209) 468-4400 or the Stockton Crime Stoppers Hotline at (209) 946-0600.