Crime
At least three people injured after shooting at Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara
SAN JOSE, California — Police confirm three people were shot and transported to a local hospital following a shooting Friday evening at Westfield Valley Fair Mall during the height of Black Friday shopping activity.
According to the San Jose Police Department, officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire inside the mall. When emergency units arrived, they located victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
All three were transported to nearby hospitals, and their injuries have since been classified as non–life-threatening.
Authorities emphasized that the shooting appears to have been an isolated incident rather than an active shooter situation.
In a statement posted to X, San Jose Police wrote:
“Officers are still diligently clearing the mall. In total, three victims were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Please continue to avoid the area.”
Police and security teams continued to evacuate and clear individual retail spaces out of an abundance of caution to ensure there was no ongoing threat.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also addressed the public, stating:
“This is not the news I wanted to share with you this holiday weekend. There is no ongoing threat to the community. My prayers are with these victims, and I know our officers are doing everything they can to find the person responsible and hold them accountable.”
The shooting triggered widespread panic inside the crowded mall, with hundreds of shoppers seeking shelter inside stores.
Images and videos posted to social media showed people barricading store entrances, hiding behind merchandise displays, and rushing out of exits as police arrived.
One shopper posted:
“Potential active shooter situation at Valley Fair Mall in the Silicon Valley area — shoutout to Abercrombie for the comfy hiding spot,”
accompanied by images of frightened customers sheltering inside a stockroom.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Santa Clara and San Jose police, remain on scene.
As of the latest update, authorities have not confirmed whether a suspect has been identified or taken into custody.
Residents and shoppers are urged to avoid the mall until further notice as the investigation continues.
Additional updates will be released as more verified information becomes available.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculation—despite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle East–focused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouch’s social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 — the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays — Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled “I Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,” was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from “Ancestors Song,” a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouch’s participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the author’s family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown University’s decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.