More than a week after a mass shooting at a toddler's birthday party in Stockton, California, killed four people and injured 17 others, law enforcement has yet to make arrests or name any suspects. Authorities said the investigation could take months.
San Joaquin sheriff Patrick Withrow told reporters on Tuesday that at least 50 shell casings had been found and at least five firearms were used in the attack. “There's not a lot of meat on the bone, unfortunately,” he said, adding that it would take time to determine how many people were involved and how many were shooting.
Withrow acknowledged reports linking the shooting to a gang dispute but emphasised that no motives had been determined. “This is not going to be, 'in a week or two we've got an answer and we start arresting people',” he said. “This is going to take months to process all this and figure out who did this.”
The victims include 14-year-old Amari Peterson, eight-year-olds Journey Rose Reotutar Guerrero and Maya Lupian, and 21-year-old Susano Archuleta. Amari's father, Patrick Peterson, said: “This makes me feel like I'm in a nightmare. I'm in the twilight zone. Ever since this happened, me, my wife, my kids, we haven't been able to eat, sleep or think correctly.”
Stockton's vice-mayor, Jason Lee, who lost his brother to gun violence and was himself shot at 15, called for more investment in violence-prevention programmes. He noted that the city council recently voted against applying for a $58m grant for a youth resource hub, and that only $2m is spent on prevention services compared to $190m on policing.
