California: Shooting at family gathering leaves 4 dead, 10 injured

Stockton, California was thrust into grief on Saturday night as a child’s birthday celebration dissolved into terror, leaving four people dead and 10 others wounded in what authorities believe may have been a targeted attack.

The gathering, held inside a banquet hall on Lucile Avenue, had drawn together families, neighbours, children — a community united for joy — before gunfire shattered the evening.

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Heather Brent confirmed that both juveniles and adults were among the victims, and that the shooter remains at large. The hall, once echoing with birthday laughter, was left marked by chaos and anguish.

“Shortly before 6 pm, reports of a shooting came in,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on X. “Fourteen individuals were struck by gunfire, and four have been confirmed deceased. Early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident.”

Investigators are now piecing together the fragments of a night turned tragic, combing for footage, witnesses, and any thread that might lead to answers.

The shockwaves travelled quickly through California. Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed, with state emergency services monitoring the unfolding probe. But it was Stockton’s own leaders who voiced the deepest heartbreak.

Vice-mayor Jason Lee, in an emotional statement, said he was “devastated and angry” that a child’s birthday party — a space meant for innocence — became a scene of fear. “These are our families. This is our community,” he wrote. “Seeing our own children, parents, and neighbours go through this shakes me deeply… We will not accept this as our norm.”

As detectives work through the night, Stockton mourns — a city bound together by sorrow, searching for justice, and clinging to the fragile hope that such violence will not be allowed to define its future.

With IANS inputs