Three children among dead in Stockton mass shooting event

Stockton, California: Four people have been killed, including three children, in a mass shooting at a birthday party in the US that investigators have described as a “targeted incident”.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County sheriff’s office, east of San Francisco, California.

Brent said the dead victims were aged 8, 9, 14 and 21. Eleven people were also wounded. No one was in custody by Sunday afternoon, local time, and she did not elaborate on why authorities believe the shooting was intentional or who might have been targeted.

The shooting occurred just before 6pm on Saturday inside a hall, which shares a car park with other businesses. Stockton is a city of 320,000 people, about 65 kilometres south of Sacramento.

“This was a birthday party for a young child, and the fact that this happened is absolutely heartbreaking,” Brent told reporters.

“If you have surveillance footage, if you’re a local business here, if you’re in the area, live in the area, or maybe you’ve heard rumours – please contact the sheriff’s office.”

She said she could not release information about a motive or details about a suspect, as doing so might hinder the investigation.

“Finding the person or persons who committed this crime is the No.1 priority,” Brent said.