Four people were killed and 10 injured in a shooting during a family gathering at a Stockton banquet hall, sheriff’s officials said Saturday.
The victims included both children and adults, said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for San Joaquin County sheriff’s office. Early indications “suggest this may have been a targeted incident,” Brent said at a news conference at the scene.
Local officials said the suspected gunman has not been caught and pleaded with the public for help. Detectives were still working to identify a possible motive.
“If you have any information about this person, please contact us immediately. If this person is you, please turn yourself in immediately,” San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said at a news conference.
The shooting happened shortly before 6 p.m. in the banquet hall, which shares a parking lot with other businesses. Stockton is a city of 320,000 residents about 40 miles south of Sacramento.
“Families need to be together instead of in the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying for their survival,” said Mayor Christina Fugazzi.
Authorities did not immediately provide additional information on the victims’ conditions. Officials previously said several people were taken to hospitals.
This latest incident adds to the city’s history of gun violence, including the unsolved 2024 murder of 31-year-old Carlos Honable, who shot several times while sitting in his parked car on Fairburn Way.
Stockton also continues to grapple with the legacy of one of the nations deadliest school shootings. In 1989, a gunman opened fire at Cleveland Elementary School, killing five children and wounding 31 others before killing himself.
Associated Press contributed to this article.
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