""I actually thought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots," said Patrice Williams, the birthday girl's mother. Her daughter, who turned two years old, was uninjured. But Williams told The Associated Press on Monday that her sister, a cousin and three of her friends were shot in the burst of violence Saturday evening in Stockton. Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed in the hall where at least 100 people were gathered, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said."
""It was just unexpected. I don't know what happened, and I'm just so shocked and lost," Williams said. She expressed remorse for the mothers who lost their children. Williams said she didn't get a look at the shooter and has no idea who would commit violence at what was supposed to be a joyous event. "They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell," Williams said. "I'm sorry, but I just ... it's not respectable. It's a kids' party.""
""This is a time for our community to show that we will not put up with this type of behavior, when people will just walk in and kill children," Withrow said Sunday evening. "And so if you know anything about this, you have to come forward and tell us what you know. If not, you just become complacent and think this is acceptable behavior.""
A shooting at a Stockton banquet hall during a toddler's birthday party killed four people, including children ages 8, 9 and 14, and wounded eleven others. At least 100 people were gathered when gunfire erupted; detectives believe shots continued outside and there may have been multiple shooters. No arrests have been reported and at least one wounded person is in critical condition. Several family members and friends of the child's family were among the wounded. Witnesses described dropping to the ground when shots rang out. Law enforcement urged residents to provide tips, cellphone video, and witness accounts to aid the investigation.
Read at ABC30 Fresno
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