Hundreds of people gathered on Sunday afternoon for a vigil in Stockton, less than a day after a mass shooting at a children’s party left four dead, including three children, and 11 others injured. The event took place on Thornton Road near the site of the incident in an unincorporated area just north of Stockton city limits.
Trina Turner, pastor at Victory in Praise Church in Stockton, addressed the crowd and encouraged those present to build connections with each other. “I want you to look around at the people that’s gathered here today,” Turner said. “People just heard about it, saw a flyer and they showed up to stand here today. But I need us to stand tomorrow and next week and next month, to begin to speak out.”
The vigil was organized by Faith in the Valley and brought together leaders from various faiths as well as community members from different backgrounds. Attendees received candles and flowers as they stood together in 50-degree weather under gray skies.
California Sen. Jerry McNerney spoke at the event, highlighting both pride and challenges within Stockton. “Stockton is a great city,” McNerney said. “Everyone here, everyone in the back, everyone front, cares very deeply about our great city, but Stockton is also a complicated city, and when events like this happen, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What could I do differently? How can I make a difference?’”
Vice Mayor Jason Lee shared his personal experience with gun violence following his brother’s death in a drive-by shooting during the early 1990s. Addressing possible retaliation within the community, Lee stated: “It’s human to want to hurt people who hurt people you love,” Lee said. “But I had a choice to make and I hope that the people out there in our community make the right choice and contact law enforcement.” He called on those responsible for Saturday night’s shooting—who remain unidentified—to turn themselves in: “Call me, call the mayor, call whoever you know, call the pastors, call your friend, turn yourself in… But you can start the process by turning yourself in and doing the right thing today.” He added: “It’s never been gangster to kill kids.”
Leon Scoggins of Life Unity Church led attendees through a moment of silence before expressing anger over lives lost: “I’m mad as hell that an 8-year-old, that a 9-year-old, that a 14-year-old, that a 21-year-old was killed in our city,” Scoggins said. He continued: “We’re going to leave and say, ‘Devil you will not have this city and the spirit of death that is over the city of Stockton California. We serve you an eviction notice today,’” Scoggins said. “And we say ‘Get the hell out of our city.’”
Al Sheppard from 1st Thessalonians Missionary Baptist Church commented on gun violence: “I’m a pastor who’s totally against guns… But why do we have to keep going through these senseless killings before people realize that it is guns that is [sic] the root of all killings?”
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi told KTXL she believed Saturday’s shooting was gang-related; however San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow did not confirm this during Sunday’s press briefing.
John Boisa attended Sunday’s vigil hoping for change within his community: “Well I hope that gang violence and existence of gangs eventually is gone from Stockton—that’s my hope,” Boisa said.
No arrests have been made so far regarding Saturday night’s shooting; authorities have not released information about suspects or motives.
