STOCKTON, Calif. — A birthday party for a 2-year-old girl ended in gunfire on Nov. 29, 2025, when shooters opened fire at Monkey Space, an event hall on Lucile Avenue in unincorporated San Joaquin County just outside Stockton. Four people were killed and 13 others were wounded.
About 80 to 150 guests were inside shortly before 6 p.m., around dinner and cake, when shots erupted. Witnesses described a sudden burst of gunfire. People shielded children, dove for cover, and fled over fences and down nearby lanes. Emergency crews treated victims at the scene and rushed others to hospitals; some were in critical condition. Investigators later said more than 50 rounds were fired from at least five firearms, and evidence pointed to more than one shooter.
The dead were 8-year-olds Maya Lupian and Journey Rose Reotutar Guerrero, 14-year-old Amari Peterson, and 21-year-old Susano Archuleta. Maya, a third-grader at Aspire Apex Academy two weeks from her ninth birthday, loved to dance, sing, draw, and practiced karate. Journey, a third-grader at Commodore Stockton Skills School, was remembered as kind, curious, and close to Maya; the cousins were together when the shooting began. Amari, a Modesto student-athlete, had been at the party with family. Archuleta, just beginning adult life, died at the scene. Community activist Jasmine Dellafosse was among the wounded.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said the attack did not appear random. Officials have described it as targeted. Known gang members were at the party, but Withrow has said investigators have not confirmed that gangs were the motive. No suspects have been publicly identified or charged in the shooting. Two men who attended the party were later held on parole violations and have not been accused of firing the shots. A reward that grew to $130,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest. The FBI and ATF have assisted the sheriff’s office, which has jurisdiction because the hall sits just outside city limits.
Surveillance video, cellphone footage, photographs, and witness accounts remain central to the case. Authorities have asked anyone who saw the shooting or captured images to come forward, saying even small details could help reconstruct a timeline.
The violence left families mourning children and a young adult who had gathered for a celebration. Relatives and neighbors held vigils. City and county leaders called the attack especially devastating because it struck children at a family party in a region long strained by violent crime. Months later, investigators were still processing evidence and interviewing witnesses. For the families, the work has been grief, care for the injured, and the unfinished search for accountability.
