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ATF offering $20K reward in Stockton mass shooting case
Four people—three of them children—died, and 13 others were injured after gunfire broke out Nov. 29 as partygoers were set to cut the birthday cake.
STOCKTON, Calif. - If you're in distress due to recent incidents of mass violence, please know that there is help is available. Talk to experienced counselors at the Disaster Distress Helpline for 24/7 emotional support. Call or text 1-800-985-5990. Click here for additional resources.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $20,000 reward for help making an arrest connected to the Stockton mass shooting that claimed the lives of four people — including three children.
Birthday celebration turns deadly
The backstory:
Family members were getting ready to cut the cake at a toddler’s birthday party when the gunfire started inside a banquet hall packed with relatives and friends last Saturday in Stockton.
Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed in the hall where at least 100 people were gathered, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said. Detectives believe the gunfire continued outside and there may have been multiple shooters.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 3 kids, 1 adult killed in California mass shooting at children's birthday party, 11 others hurt
Eleven people were wounded, and at least one is in critical condition, Withrow said. No one is in custody.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent has said investigators believe it was a "targeted incident." Officials did not elaborate on why authorities believe it was intentional or who might have been targeted. She said investigators would welcome any information, "even rumors."
Four dead, including three children
What we know:
A 14-year-old boy named Amari Peterson, who played football and basketball and was making plans for college, was killed in the shooting, according to a GoFundMe account operated by his aunt, Aresha Mosley.
"The only mistake this sweet boy made was being in the wrong place at the wrong time," the account said. "He was simply being a kid at a kids’ party."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 'Not being able to save him', Family mourns teen killed in Stockton mass shooting
The other two children killed were identified as Journey Rose Reotutar Guerrero, 8, and Maya Lupian, 8.
The fourth victim was identified as 21-year-old Susano Archuleta. His brother, Emmanuel Lopez, confirmed to media that he was shot in the neck and died at the scene.
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RELATED COVERAGE: 'Not being able to save him', Family mourns teen killed in Stockton mass shooting
14-year-old Amari Peterson was one of the four victims killed in the Stockton shooting at a two-year-old's birthday party over the weekend.
‘They deserve to be in jail’
What they're saying:
"I actually thought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots," said Patrice Williams, the birthday girl’s mother.
Her daughter, who turned 2, was uninjured.
"They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell," Williams said. "I’m sorry, but I just ... it’s not respectable. It’s a kids’ party."
"Who would come and do that to some kids, you know?" Roscoe Brown told AP after a Sunday afternoon vigil organized by faith leaders. "You can’t shoot up a party. That’s senseless. A kid’s party, at that." He said the party was in honor of his brother’s granddaughter.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Stockton mass shooting: Gunman on the loose after 4 killed
Mayor Christina Fugazi expressed anguish over the loss of victims so young.
"They should be writing their Christmas lists right now. Their parents should be out shopping for them for Christmas. And to think that their lives are over. I can’t even begin to imagine what these families are going through. Breaks my heart," Fugazi said.
Violent crimes
Local perspective:
Stockton is a city of 320,000 residents about 80 miles east of San Francisco.
Stockton saw 3,680 violent crimes in 2024, at a rate more than double the statewide rate, according to city and state data.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Stockton mass shooting: Gunman on the loose after 4 killed
Police in Stockton, California continue to search for the gunman who opened fire at a children's birthday party, killing four people, three of whom were kids.
Violent crime includes homicide, rape, assault and robbery. The San Joaquin Valley, where Stockton is located, had the highest violent crime rate in the state in 2023, according to data from the Public Policy Institute of California.
Big picture view:
It was the 17th U.S. mass killing of the year with at least four victim fatalities, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
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The Source: This report is based on information provided by law enforcement, specifically San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow and Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent, and details from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Victim identification and direct quotes are sourced from the victims’ family members, including the birthday girl's mother Patrice Williams, statements made by community members like Roscoe Brown to the Associated Press (AP), and official statements from Mayor Christina Fugazi. Contextual data on violence rates is sourced from city and state data and the Public Policy Institute of California, while the national mass killing count is provided by a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.