Pregnant woman shot dead at Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, six wounded
A mass shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California, left one pregnant woman dead and six others injured. Police are reviewing footage to identify the lone gunman.
Shooting at Fairfield's Solano Town Center kills pregnant woman, injures six
A pregnant woman was shot and killed inside a crowded Spirit Halloween store at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, on Friday evening, according to sfchronicle.com. Six others were wounded in what police described as a targeted attack carried out by a single assailant.
Fairfield police responded to the shooting at approximately 8:30 p.m. Police Chief Dan Marshall confirmed seven people were shot in total, with one victim dying at the scene and three others left in critical condition. Marshall said Friday night that there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The victim who died was identified as Constance Hages, 31. Family members told police she was pregnant at the time of the shooting. The three victims in critical condition are a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 19 and 32. A 23-year-old man remains hospitalised in critical but stable condition. Two additional men, aged 19 and 43, were treated for gunshot wounds and subsequently discharged.
"Detectives continue to actively investigate this case, reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify the individual responsible for this heinous act of violence," the Fairfield Police Department said in a statement Saturday morning. "Currently, we are not releasing additional details about the incident."
Police offered condolences to the family and loved ones of Hages and the other victims. No description of the shooter was released, and authorities did not indicate whether a suspect had been apprehended or disclose a possible motive.
Witnesses describe chaos inside the store
Javier Espinoza and his girlfriend, Alicia Reyes, were completing a final walk through the store — shopping for their Shrek-themed Halloween party — when the shooting broke out. Espinoza initially thought someone was setting off fireworks, he told sfchronicle.com on Saturday morning, but quickly registered that the sounds were wrong.
The pair dived for cover at the rear of the store. Moments later, a second burst of gunfire rang out closer.
"Then we started hearing them inside the store," Espinoza recalled. "Oh no, that's not good."
Around a dozen shoppers sheltered near a security fence at the back of the store. Espinoza said he positioned himself to shield his girlfriend with his body. Another shopper then directed them toward the fence separating the store from the rest of the mall.
After several attempts, the group forced the barrier upward far enough to roll beneath it and fled through the mall. They exited through an emergency door. A stranger waiting outside offered them a lift to a relative's home, where they spent the night.
"We've seen in the workplace videos about mass shootings," Espinoza said, having returned Saturday morning to retrieve his car. "Try to duck, take cover. Look for the safest spot. Always run whenever you have the chance to run — always run away from the situation, and if you see the perpetrator close to you, and there's no way out, fight back."
Meina Davis, who works in a mall shoe store, had gone to Spirit Halloween with a coworker to pick up a last-minute costume. The parking lot was packed when they arrived. Within minutes of entering the store, the shooting began.
Davis said she heard a second round of gunfire as well as screaming, including a mother crying out for her child.
"A bunch of shoppers started running, just booked it," Davis told Sacramento television station KCRA. The group ducked under the rear security fence and sheltered inside another open store for roughly an hour.
"I'm still in shock," Davis said Saturday morning from the mall car park, where she had returned to collect her car. "It was just so surreal."
Mall cancels Halloween event; multiple agencies respond
Several law enforcement agencies converged on the busy shopping centre on the eve of Halloween. The California Highway Patrol assisted Fairfield police with traffic control around the site and helped clear buildings. Suisun City police also responded under a mutual-aid request, with officers supporting the search before being stood down.
One woman who arrived at the mall Saturday morning said her son had been injured and remained hospitalised. She declined to be identified and said she had returned to retrieve keys lost during the commotion on Friday night.
The Spirit Halloween store remained closed Saturday morning, with vehicles still filling the car park. The broader mall reopened, but management cancelled a Halloween event that had been scheduled for the afternoon.
"We recognise the concern and uncertainty this incident has created throughout our community, particularly with the many Halloween events and celebrations planned for today," Fairfield police said in their Saturday statement. "We understand that an incident of this nature is frightening and deeply unsettling. We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, look out for one another, and report any suspicious activity."
Detectives continued to review surveillance footage and interview witnesses as of Saturday. No further details about the suspect or a possible motive had been released by the time of publication.
Source: Google News MT