Shooting at High School Graduation in Fairfield Kills Teen, Wounds Three

An 18-year-old was fatally shot and three others wounded at a graduation ceremony in Fairfield, CA. No suspect has been identified.

Teen killed, child among wounded in parking lot shooting after Fairfield graduation

An 18-year-old was shot and killed and three others wounded — including an 11-year-old child — during a graduation ceremony at Fairfield High School in Northern California on Wednesday evening, sfchronicle.com reports. The gunfire broke out at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the parking lot outside Schafer Stadium, where about 1,000 people had gathered to celebrate Sem Yeto High School's commencement.

As of Thursday, Fairfield police had made no arrest and had not released a suspect description. Officer Michelle Belyea, a department spokesperson, told reporters late Wednesday: "I don't have any information related to suspects at this time." Detectives were interviewing hundreds of potential witnesses and following leads, but said they had no additional information to release publicly.

Sem Yeto High School is a continuation school within the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. Fairfield is located roughly 40 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Four struck; one fatally

Four people were hit by gunfire in the parking lot. Three victims — aged 11, 20 and 25 — sustained injuries not considered life-threatening. The 18-year-old died from his wounds, police confirmed. The identities of all victims were withheld pending next-of-kin notification and to protect the integrity of the investigation. Authorities have not confirmed whether any of the victims were students, graduates or family members attending the event.

Police also addressed a rumour circulating on social media claiming the 11-year-old had died, calling it false. The child was recovering at a local hospital, the department said.

"That's when it happened"

Aayokie Champaco, 18, had just received her diploma and posed for photographs with her mother, younger siblings and extended family. During the ceremony, she recalled an 18-year-old she knew sitting in front of her, turning to smile back at the crowd. She later came to believe he was the person fatally shot.

As Champaco and her mother, Ashley Combs, walked into the parking lot after the ceremony ended, they heard what they initially took to be fireworks or party poppers. Within seconds, Combs said, people were running and screaming.

"We were all walking out of the ceremony into the parking lot, and they were at their car," Combs said. "They were getting into their car, and that's when it happened."

Combs said she saw a person on the ground, still wearing a cap and gown, as a woman performed CPR. She moved toward him, but a crowd had already formed. Combs said she did not see a gun or any potential suspect.

"Everybody was so confused"

Maria Ochoa had just taken a photograph with her daughter, Alexis Duran, on the graduation field when the sounds began. "I hugged her and took a picture and that's when we heard the gunshots," Ochoa said.

Duran grabbed a friend of her mother's and started running. Unsure where to go, she initially headed toward the school building before changing direction toward the tennis courts to take cover. "Everybody was so confused, it happened so quick," Duran said. "It was too scary."

When the scene settled, Duran and Ochoa returned to their vehicle. Duran said she saw people crying and crouching behind cars. She did not know the victim personally, though she said they had attended different campuses of the same continuation school and had occasionally shared field trips. "It was sad," she said. "It was too much, seeing everybody's faces."

Family standing 20 feet away

Alexander Munoz was at the event to watch his younger sister graduate. After the ceremony, he and his family were standing beside their car when he heard multiple gunshots approximately 20 feet away. They immediately got into their vehicles to shelter.

"It happened pretty fast. All I heard was shots and people running away after that," Munoz said.

Munoz and his family subsequently spoke to investigators. Police asked whether they had seen the suspect or observed anyone flee in a vehicle.

Investigation ongoing

On Thursday, police tape marked off portions of the Fairfield High School parking lot as the investigation continued. Balloons were left outside Schafer Stadium by community members. Detectives had not released any suspect description by late Thursday morning, nearly 24 hours after the shooting.

Police said they were continuing to pursue leads and process evidence from the scene. The department did not indicate when additional information would be made available to the public.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)