Terrifying video emerges from California shopping mall shooting that left pregnant woman, 31, dead and six others hurt… as gunman goes on the run
Horror unfolded inside a Spirit Halloween this weekend as last-minute shoppers scrambled for costumes ahead of the holiday, leaving a pregnant woman dead and six injured, as harrowing video footage emerged from inside the store.
Gunfire erupted on Friday at 8.30pm at the seasonal store in Fairfield, a city outside San Francisco. The gunman has not been identified and no arrests have been made, according to the Fairfield Police Department.
The department announced on Saturday afternoon that the sole fatality from the shooting was a 31-year-old woman named Constance Hages. Her family told police that she was pregnant.
Three victims have been hospitalized in critical condition. They have not been identified, but authorities said they were all men, aged 16, 19 and 32.
A 23-year-old man has also been hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two additional victims, including a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man, received treatment for gunshot wounds and have since been released, cops said.
Chilling video footage taken by a witness to the shooting showed frightened shoppers ducking for cover as gunshots rang out.
Jocelyn Lopez Tabares, 15, told the New York Post that she recorded the moments to use as evidence before calling her mother.
She recalled the moment gunfire erupted, initially believing it to be a popped balloon until her older sister pulled her to the ground.
Gunshots rang out inside a Spirit Halloween store on Friday night in Fairfield, California, with six injured and one dead
Constance Hages, 31, was identified as the fatality in the shooting. Family members told police that she was pregnant. Picture source: Tonya Marzett/Facebook
‘I was in shock, and everyone just went down. My sister pulled me down because I couldn’t move. I was so scared,’ Lopez Tabares recalled.
‘All I could hear was people screaming and running from the back to the front,’ she added.
Lopez Tabares said she thought she was going to die, emotionally confessing: ‘I didn’t want to die that way.’
She described a frightful scene of patrons dashing out of the store as she and her sister hid for their lives.
The traumatized teen added that she heard a mother crying out for her baby after gunshots rang out.
Miena Davis, another witness to the shooting, also told local NBC affiliate KCRA that she heard a mom crying out for her child, describing the scene as ‘immediate panic.’
Javier Espinoza told the outlet that he and his girlfriend moved to the front of the store during the shooting, and he lifted the security gate with another witness so shoppers could escape.
Janet Jacobo, who was shopping with her three sons, told the New York Times that she fled the store after hearing gunshots with her youngest child in her arms.
She said her children were terrified, and she attempted to calm them down after the traumatizing event by telling them it was just a ‘scary show at the Halloween store.’
Authorities said three men, aged 16, 19 and 32, have been hospitalized in critical condition. A 23-year-old man has been hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Two additional victims, including a 19-year-old man and a 43-year-old man
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and an investigation is ongoing. The incident prompted a large police presence
The investigation into the shooting is still active and ongoing. The Fairfield Police Department said on Saturday morning that it is believed to have ‘stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the Spirit Halloween store.’
‘We encourage everyone to remain vigilant, look out for one another, and report any suspicious activity,’ the department added in a statement.
‘The safety of our community remains our priority, and our department remains committed to working alongside our community to ensure everyone can enjoy a safe Halloween.’
Separately, another community was rocked on Friday night when a second shooting unfolded while revelers were shopping for last-minute costumes at a Spirit Halloween in Michigan.
Shots rang out at the store following an altercation between a 21-year-old man from Detroit and a 21-year-old male from Oak Park, according to the Madison Heights Police Department.
The Detroit man sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died. A 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene.
The Oak Park man sustained non-life-threatening injuries after he was assaulted by bystanders before officers took him into custody. The department said investigators anticipate forthcoming criminal charges.
Another shooting also unfolded at a Spirit Halloween store in Michigan on Friday. The suspect’s wife, Alanna, claimed her husband shot in self-defense
The suspect’s wife, named only as Alanna, told Click on Detroit that her husband shot in self-defense.
She said they were leaving the store with their three children when an acquaintance confronted them. Alanna claimed her husband fired a shot fearing the man was armed.
‘If he didn’t have that gun, and we walked out here and all those people would’ve jumped on him, would I be at the hospital right now praying over my husband? He defended me, himself, and his kids,’ she said.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Fairfield Police Department and the Madison Heights Police Department for updates on the investigations into both shootings.
