Key takeaways:
- Seven people were shot at the Fairfield store Friday night; one died and at least three were in critical condition.
- Fairfield detectives were speaking with witnesses and working to identify the shooter or shooters.
- A separate shooting at a Madison Heights, Michigan, Spirit Halloween store killed a 21-year-old man; police took the alleged shooter into custody.
A shooter opened fire inside a Spirit Halloween store at a California mall Friday night, killing one person and wounding six others, police said. At least three of the injured were in critical condition as detectives searched for the person or people responsible.
The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. local time at the store in Solano Town Center in Fairfield, Police Chief Dan Marshall said at a news conference. All seven victims had gunshot wounds. The six survivors were taken to hospitals, and police had not yet identified the person who died.
“This is still a very active crime scene. Detectives are speaking with witnesses and diligently working to identify the suspect responsible for this horrific shooting,” the Fairfield Police Department said in a statement posted around midnight Saturday.
Marshall said detectives were working to identify the “suspect or suspects” and offered no further information about the victims. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this heartbreaking incident,” he said.
David Bernal told NBC News affiliate KCRA that his wife was inside the store when the gunfire began. She escaped with several other people through an emergency exit and was home afterward but “still in shock,” he said. Bernal said she heard “five big bangs, big ones, like loud,” then ran toward an exit on the other side of the mall.
Fairfield is about 37 miles northeast of Sacramento. The shooting occurred on the eve of Halloween at a store selling costumes and decorations.
Hours earlier, a separate shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Madison Heights, Michigan, left a 21-year-old Detroit resident dead. Madison Heights police said he sustained serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Police said the alleged shooter in the Michigan case, also 21, sustained injuries that were not life-threatening after several bystanders assaulted him as officers took him into custody. He was taken to a hospital. “Based on the evidence gained thus far, investigators anticipate seeking criminal charges in this case,” the department said in a news release.
The two shootings do not appear to be connected, NBC News reported.
Be First to Comment