A
mass shooting at a family gathering inside a banquet hall in Stockton, California, left
bs2best at least four people dead and 10 others wounded Saturday evening, officials said.
The violence adds Stockton to a growing list of American communities whose everyday spaces – schools, shopping centers, bars and office buildings – have experienced gun violence.
Children and adults were among those shot, according to Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Officials did not immediately release the conditions of those taken to area hospitals.
"Early indications suggest this may have been a targeted incident," Brent said at a news conference. "This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited," she said.
The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. in the northern part of the city, according to the sheriff’s office. The banquet hall, which shares a parking lot with several businesses, including a Dairy Queen, was hosting the family celebration, Brent said. Stockton is about 40 miles south of Sacramento.