A 14-year-old boy described as a 'promising young soul' has been identified as one of three children killed in a mass shooting at a toddler's birthday party in Stockton, California.
A Promising Life Cut Short
Amari Peterson was fatally shot on Saturday at a banquet hall where more than 100 friends and relatives had gathered to celebrate a two-year-old's birthday. His grieving family said the teenager was simply in the 'wrong place at the wrong time'.
Amari was a keen sportsman who played football and basketball, and was already making plans for university. His aunt, Aresha Mosley, set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs and pay tribute to her nephew.
She wrote: "Amari was a football player, a basketball player, a brother, son, and cousin. He was making plans and looking into colleges of choice... The only mistake this sweet boy made was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was simply being a kid at a kids’ party."
Chaos at the Celebration
The shooting erupted just as the group was about to cut the birthday cake, according to the mother of the two-year-old birthday girl, Patrice Williams. The birthday girl herself was among the 11 people wounded in the attack.
In total, four people lost their lives, including three children. Alongside 14-year-old Amari, two other children as young as eight were killed. The gunman, or gunmen, responsible remain at large.
Speaking about the horrific incident, Ms Williams said: "It was just unexpected. I don’t know what happened, and I’m just so shocked and lost... They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell. I’m sorry, but I just ... it’s not respectable. It’s a kids' party."
A Community in Mourning and a Search for Answers
Police have launched a major investigation and are appealing for information to help trace the shooter. They have said they would welcome even rumours in their search for leads.
Amari's family are desperate for answers and for justice. Ms Mosley's heartfelt statement continued: "No parent should ever have to bury their child. No family should ever go from planning birthdays to planning funerals... Right now, Amari’s parents and loved ones need support, strength, and love — as a community and as human beings."
She described her nephew as "a bright, loved, and promising young soul whose life was taken far too soon by a senseless act of violence."
The public fundraising appeal has seen an outpouring of support, with more than $21,000 (£16,000) raised so far to assist the Peterson family with funeral expenses during this devastating time.
