California family was about to cut the cake when gunfire erupted at a toddler's birthday party

STOCKTON, Calif. -- Family members were getting acceptable to chopped the barroom astatine a toddler's day enactment erstwhile the gunfire started wrong a banquet hallway packed with relatives and friends implicit the play successful California.

"I really thought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots," said Patrice Williams, the day girl's mother.

Her daughter, who turned 2 years old, was uninjured. But Williams told The Associated Press connected Monday that her sister, a relative and 3 of her friends were changeable successful the burst of unit Saturday evening successful Stockton.

Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed successful the hallway wherever astatine slightest 100 radical were gathered, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said. Detectives judge the gunfire continued extracurricular and determination whitethorn person been aggregate shooters.

Eleven radical were wounded, and astatine slightest 1 is successful captious condition, Withrow said. No 1 is successful custody.

Williams said partygoers who had gathered astir the barroom dropped to the crushed the infinitesimal the gunshots rang out.

"It was conscionable unexpected. I don't cognize what happened, and I'm conscionable truthful shocked and lost," Williams said. She expressed remorse for the mothers who mislaid their children.

Williams said she didn't get a look astatine the shooter and has nary thought who would perpetrate unit astatine what was expected to beryllium a joyous event.

"They merit to beryllium successful jail. They merit to spell to hell," Williams said. "I'm sorry, but I conscionable ... it's not respectable. It's a kids' party."

The sheriff urged anyone with accusation to interaction his bureau with tips, cellphone video oregon witnesser accounts.

"This is simply a clip for our assemblage to amusement that we volition not enactment up with this benignant of behavior, erstwhile radical volition conscionable locomotion successful and termination children," Withrow said Sunday evening. "And truthful if you cognize thing astir this, you person to travel guardant and archer america what you know. If not, you conscionable go complacent and deliberation this is acceptable behavior."

Sheriff's spokesperson Heather Brent has said investigators judge it was a "targeted incident." Officials did not elaborate connected wherefore authorities judge it was intentional oregon who mightiness person been targeted. She said investigators would invited immoderate information, "even rumors."

Roscoe Brown, who said the enactment was successful grant of his brother's granddaughter, works for the metropolis of Stockton's Office of Violence Prevention. Brown was successful Arizona erstwhile helium learned astir the shooting and drove consecutive to the scene. He said a niece and nephew were shot, and helium knows respective different victims. He didn't person accusation astir their conditions.

"Who would travel and bash that to immoderate kids, you know?" Brown told The Associated Press pursuing a vigil organized by religion leaders to grant the dormant and commune for the wounded. "You can't sprout up a party. That's senseless. A kid's party, astatine that."

Emmanuel Lopez told the Los Angeles Times his brother, 21-year-old Susano Archuleta, was changeable successful the cervix and died astatine the scene. Lopez said his 9-year-old girl was changeable successful the caput but survived. He didn't stock details astir what led up to the shooting.

Stockton is simply a metropolis of 320,000 residents astir 80 miles (130 kilometers) eastbound of San Francisco. Stockton saw 3,680 convulsive crimes successful 2024, astatine a complaint much than treble the statewide rate, according to metropolis and authorities data. Violent transgression includes homicide, rape, battle and robbery. The San Joaquin Valley, wherever Stockton is located, had the highest convulsive transgression complaint successful the authorities successful 2023, according to information from the Public Policy Institute of California.

Hours aft the shooting, the Stockton Police Department arrested 5 people, including a juvenile, connected weapons and gang-related charges. There was nary denotation that the arrests were connected to the killings astatine the banquet hall, the sheriff said.

Mayor Christina Fugazi told reporters that the 8-year-old unfortunate attended a section schoolhouse and had a genitor who worked for the Stockton Unified School District. The politician said counselors would beryllium disposable this week astatine metropolis schools.

She expressed anguish implicit the nonaccomplishment of victims truthful young.

"They should beryllium penning their Christmas lists close now. Their parents should beryllium retired buying for them for Christmas. And to deliberation that their lives are over. I can't adjacent statesman to ideate what these families are going through. Breaks my heart," Fugazi said connected Sunday.