Amari Peterson, Stockton 14 year old boy identified as one of the three children out of four killed in Stockton, California mass shooting during children’s birthday party at banquet ball.
California authorities have identified one of three children killed out of 4 gunned down during a children’s birthday party in Stockton over the weekend.
Amari Peterson, 14, was attending a party at a banquet hall in Stockton on Nov. 29 when gunfire rang out in the evening, killing him, along with an 8- and a 9 -year-old, as well as a 21-year-old victim. The mass shooting described as the result of gangsta rapper warfare, left eleven others injured, including one who remained in critical condition.
‘My baby was innocent,’ the boy’s mother Kim Peterson told the Stockton Record.
14 year old Stockton boy killed in mass shooting was in wrong place, wrong time
‘We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Who would have known my baby wasn’t gonna come home with me?’
Peterson said her son was not involved in any gang activity and described her son as a loving and caring boy who loved sports, including basketball and football.
‘I’m just lost for words. Just pray for me, my family, his friends, everybody that came across him. My baby was loved,’ the grieving mother added.
‘No parent should ever have to bury their child,’ the GoFundMe read. ‘No family should ever go from planning birthdays to planning funerals.’
Little was known about the other three fatalities, with Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi confirming that the 8-year-old who was killed was a student in the Stockton Unified School District. She said the child’s parent also works for the school district, USA Today reported.
Authorities continue to search for the gunman/gunmen responsible for Saturday’s shooting.
Multiple suspects sought following shooting at 2 year old’ birthday party
San Joaquin Sheriff Patrick Withrow said it’s believed there were multiple shooters. Investigators found firearms on the roof of the banquet hall where the shooting happened, but it’s unknown if they were used in the shooting.
‘These animals walked in and shot children at a children’s birthday party,’ Withrow said during a Nov. 30 news conference, pleading for those with information to come forward.
Residents speaking with KCRA 3 said the gunfire sounded like it came from multiple people.
Of the survivors, Withrow said one person is in critical condition and that three adult patients are in stable condition at the hospital.
The Associated Press reported that Roscoe Brown, who works for Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention, said the party was in honor of his brother’s granddaughter, who turned 2 years old and was uninjured. Brown said a niece and nephew of his were shot.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600. Any tips leading to an arrest could lead to a cash reward of up to $25,000.
