Victim ID’d in Calif. Mass Shooting at Kid’s Birthday Party, Which Was ‘Targeted’ Attack

Authorities say they are still working to identify and locate those responsible for a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California that left three children and one young adult dead over the weekend.

Police are “actively working on suspect descriptions” and searching for “the individuals responsible,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media late Saturday night. “This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited,” the statement added. “Early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident, and investigators are exploring all possibilities.”

Officials have said that four people were killed in the Nov. 29 shooting at a banquet hall in Stockton, Calif., and that a total of 15 people were shot.

CBS News reported that the 21-year-old victim was identified as Susano Archuleta, according to his 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.”

Local authorities have not yet named any suspects and say multiple individuals believed to be involved in the attack remain at large.

In an update shared Sunday, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said its detectives were still at the scene the morning after the shooting and were “processing evidence with assistance from the California Department of Justice.”

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Heather Brent said the violence unfolded at a banquet hall “where a family was celebrating,” according to a clip shared by ABC10.

ABC10 also 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,” Brent said at a Sunday press conference, 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.”

Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee wrote in a statement on social media Saturday night that his heart was “heavy in a way that’s hard to put into words” after learning about the shooting at the birthday party.

“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 said in an Instagram post on Sunday that she “could not sleep” after hearing about the tragedy the night before.

“I lay there in disbelief about what these families, these children, and our entire community went through,” she wrote. “The trauma they are living with is unimaginable.”

Fugazi continued: “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.”