Inside the Stockton banquet hall where kids were slaughtered, parents return to a scene of horror

"The sun was beginning to set Sunday when members of a Stockton family pulled open the metal door of a banquet hall that a day earlier had been the venue for a 2-year-old's birthday party - a joyful affair that ended in violence and heartbreak. Inside, the family confronted a scene of horror. A grandmother put a hand over her mouth and looked like she might faint."

"In an act that left this gritty San Joaquin Valley city in a state of numb fear, a gunman or gunmen had crashed their child's birthday party Saturday night. They had unleashed a barrage of gunfire from an automatic weapon across a room filled with children in their best party finery, playing amid balloons and a swan-shaped bouncy house. Bullets tore through the event space just as people were sitting down to dinner. Four people were killed, including three children."

Gunmen opened fire during a 2-year-old's birthday party at a Stockton banquet hall, unleashing automatic-weapons fire across a room of children and guests. Four people were killed, including three children, and 11 others were wounded. Guests attempted CPR, fled over fences, and scrambled to safety while some trailed blood. Family members later returned to retrieve belongings amid gore, finding untouched wrapped presents and blood-splattered walls. San Joaquin County sheriff's officials believe the attack was targeted and gang-related and suspect multiple shooters. Law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are involved in the ongoing search.

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