NEED TO KNOW
- Investigators in San Joaquin County are still searching for a suspect, or suspects, responsible for a deadly mass shooting Saturday night at a kid’s birthday party
- The shooting killed four people, including three children aged 8, 9, and 14, as well as a 21-year-old
- “Early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident,” local authorities said over the weekend
Police say they are “actively working on suspect descriptions” and working to locate “the individuals responsible” for a mass shooting in California that killed three children and one young adult at a kid’s birthday party over the weekend.
“This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media late Saturday night. “Early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident, and investigators are exploring all possibilities.”
PEOPLE previously reported that four people died in the Nov. 29 shooting at a banquet hall in Stockton, Calif., while police say a total of 15 people were shot.
CBS News reported that the 21-year-old victim was identified as Susano Archuleta, according to the man’s aunt.
“My nephew was one of the ones who was shot,” Patricia Flores told CBS News. “He was a good kid and he went to the celebration for a friend of his, it was his friend’s daughter, I believe.”
Meanwhile, local police have yet to track down a suspect and have indicated in news releases that multiple suspects involved in the shooting remain on the loose.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in its latest update Sunday that its detectives were still on the scene the morning after the shooting and “processing evidence with assistance from the California Department of Justice.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the sheriff’s office for the latest information regarding the investigation and potential suspects.
Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Heather Brent previously said that the tragedy took place in a banquet hall “where a family was celebrating,” according to a clip shared by ABC10.
The outlet reported Sunday that the ATF and the FBI are assisting local authorities with the investigation, while the FBI said it has been in “continuous communication” with local investigators.
“Finding the person or persons who committed this crime is the number one priority,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Heather Brent said at a press conference on Sunday, according to ABC10. “Right now, we ask this community, don’t let this divide you. Make it something that brings you together, come together as a community and let’s help each other.”
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee wrote in a social media statement on Saturday night that his heart was “heavy in a way that’s hard to put into words” after hearing the news about the birthday party shooting.
“I am devastated and angry to learn about the mass shooting at a child’s birthday party,” Lee wrote. “A birthday party should never be a place where families fear for their lives.”
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi added in an Instagram post on Sunday that she “could not sleep” after hearing the news the previous night.
“I lay there in disbelief about what these families, these children, and our entire community went through,” the mayor wrote. “The trauma they are living with is unimaginable.”
Mayor Fugazi added: “Children who saw things no child should ever see. Loved ones standing there, watching someone they care about murdered in cold blood right in front of them. These are wounds that will likely never heal, let alone quickly. This is trauma that will follow these kids and these families for the rest of their lives.”
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