Four people — three of them children — were killed and 11 others wounded when gunfire erupted during a 2-year-old’s birthday party inside a Stockton, California banquet hall on Saturday, authorities confirmed, as reported by the New York Post.

The shooting broke out just as the toddler was cutting her birthday cake.

The child’s mother, Patrice Williams, described the chaos that unfolded as dozens of guests were gathered for the celebration.

Stockton mass shooting that killed 4, including 3 kids, at child’s birthday party was gang-related: mayor https://t.co/J9kTmvwSLp pic.twitter.com/DGv0UJPTLn

— New York Post (@nypost) December 1, 2025

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“I actually thought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots,” Williams said. “It was just unexpected. I don’t know what happened, and I’m just so shocked and lost.”

Williams said people immediately dropped to the ground when the gunfire began. She said her daughter was unharmed, though she did not get a clear look at the shooter or shooters and does not know why a child’s party would be targeted.

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“They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I just … it’s not respectable. It’s a kids’ party.”

Patrice Williams, the mother who threw a birthday party for her 2 yr okd daughter in Stockton, California, shared the heartbreaking story of the mass shooting that took four lives and injured eleven more during what was supposed to be a joyful celebration. pic.twitter.com/Pm8R796UpX

— The HipHop Report (@hiphopreportatl) December 2, 2025

Stockton authorities said three children — ages 8, 9, and 14 — were among those killed, along with a 21-year-old man. One of the wounded victims remains in critical condition.

Police identified two of the victims as 14-year-old Amari Peterson and 21-year-old Susano Archuleta.

Investigators have not announced arrests, but officials said early evidence points to the shooting being gang-related. Authorities have not released further details on the suspected motive or the number of shooters involved.

The mass shooting is one of the deadliest incidents in Stockton in recent years and adds to California’s ongoing struggles with violent crime. Local, state, and federal authorities are coordinating the investigation.

Williams said the birthday celebration had been planned as a cheerful gathering for her daughter before it was suddenly overtaken by tragedy.

She said she is still trying to understand how the violence unfolded so quickly and inside a venue crowded with children.

The investigation remains active, and Stockton police have urged anyone with information or video footage from the event to come forward.

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