STOCKTON, California: Four people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting at a family gathering in California on Saturday night, United States police said, calling it a “targeted incident”.
The shooting took place inside a banquet hall in Stockton, northeast of San Francisco, just before 6pm (7am Sunday PKT), San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office spokesperson Heather Brent told reporters in a news briefing.
The victims, who range from “juveniles to adults”, were taken to local hospitals, Brent said, adding that information on the shooting was limited.
“What we have confirmed at this time is that there was a banquet hall where a family was celebrating. We have 14 victims of this shooting. Four of those are deceased,” Brent said.
“Early indications suggest that this may be a targeted incident. Investigators are exploring all possibilities at this time.”
The sheriff’s office said in a post on social media that detectives were “working to determine the circumstances leading up to this tragedy”.
“We are urging anyone with information, video footage, or who may have witnessed any part of this incident to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office immediately,” it said.
No suspect has been identified so far.
California Governor Gavin Newsom had been briefed on the shooting, his office said in a post on social media.
There have been 504 mass shootings in the US so far this year — including the Stockton incident — according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot.
