Crime
Four Dead, Including Three Children, and Eleven Injured in Targeted Mass Shooting at Stockton Birthday Celebration
A mass shooting at a private banquet hall in north Stockton on Saturday evening left four people dead—three of them children—and at least eleven others injured, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident occurred shortly before 6:00 p.m. in the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue, where approximately 100 to 150 people had gathered for a family celebration, identified by city officials as a child’s birthday party.
The venue, a recently opened event space known as Monkey Space, previously housed the Kudos Children’s Theatre.
Authorities reported that 15 individuals were struck by gunfire, with victims ranging in age from youth to adulthood.
The deceased victims have not been publicly identified; however, officials confirmed their ages as 8, 9, 14, and 21 years old.
Early investigative findings suggest the attack was targeted, though officials have not released details regarding motive or potential suspects.
Multiple unofficial law enforcement and community sources allege that Stockton-based rappers MBnel and Fly Boy Doughy may have been the intended targets, as the party was reportedly for one of their children. These claims remain unconfirmed by authorities.
Multiple 911 calls were received reporting gunfire near the intersection of Lucile Avenue and Thornton Road, just steps from a nearby Dairy Queen.
Deputies from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office were first on the scene, as the location falls within an unincorporated jurisdictional area.
Responding law enforcement declared a mass casualty incident upon arrival. Victims were transported to multiple area hospitals; however, the number and identities of facilities receiving patients have not been released. At least one hospital increased security following the incident.
A spokesperson for Sutter Health confirmed that three adult patients treated at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto remained in stable condition as of Sunday.
The shooting has sparked widespread outrage and mourning throughout Stockton.
District Attorney Ron Freitas condemned the violence, stating:
“Violence of this nature has absolutely no place at any time — and children should not be harmed by gun and gang violence.”
Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi characterized the attack as an act of terrorism:
“Gang violence exists in cities across the country, but this act was a pure act of terrorism. Our community is grieving an unimaginable loss.”
The Stockton Unified School District announced it will deploy mental health clinicians and counselors across all 55 school sites as officials prepare for the possibility that the child victims were district students.
No suspects have been formally named in connection with the shooting, and investigators have not confirmed whether the gunfire was carried out by a single shooter or multiple individuals.
However, hours after the incident, law enforcement detained multiple individuals during a separate police operation near Pixie Drive and Doray Court, where a white SUV with bullet damage was seized.
Five individuals—including a 16-year-old male—were arrested on suspicion of weapons, gang activity, and conspiracy charges. Officials emphasized that these arrests have not yet been confirmed as directly linked to the mass shooting.
Stockton Police Night Watch records list those arrested as:
- Issac Grosvenor, 27
- Destiny Willis, 32
- Kevin Le, 22
- Jovon Frank, 19
- Unidentified Male, 16
Ballistics testing is underway to determine whether firearms seized during the arrests are connected to the Lucile Avenue shooting.
Authorities are urging anyone with video evidence, eyewitness accounts, or information related to the shooting to contact:
- San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office (non-emergency line): (209) 468-4400
- Stockton Crime Stoppers: (209) 946-0600
A reward for information leading to arrests and conviction has reached $25,000, funded by Crime Stoppers, Mayor Fugazi, and Councilwoman Mariela Ponce.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent said investigators are actively pursuing leads:
“We are not releasing details that may compromise this investigation. Our detectives are working thoroughly and diligently to identify those responsible.”
Crime
Attorneys Argue Jacob Bard Actions in Deadly Kentucky State University Shooting Were Legally Justified
Attorneys representing Jacob Bard, the man accused in a deadly shooting at Kentucky State University, contend that his actions were legally justified and undertaken in defense of his family amid what they describe as a violent and uncontrolled situation on campus.
In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Bard’s legal team from the Indiana-based law firm Danks & Danks asserted that Bard “was completely justified under the law in his use of deadly force.”
Bard is accused of fatally shooting one Kentucky State University student and wounding another during an incident at a campus dormitory.
According to the attorneys’ statement, Bard traveled to Kentucky State University after his younger son reported being attacked on multiple occasions.
The release alleges that on Monday, December 8, a group of approximately 20 to 30 individuals gathered outside the son’s dormitory, some allegedly armed, and began beating on the door. Campus police were reportedly called to respond to the disturbance.
The following morning, Bard and his wife met with Kentucky State University police. While the attorneys stated that officers appeared sincere in their efforts, they claimed it was evident to the family that campus police were “ill-prepared to deal with the out-of-control and violent environment.”
The legal team further alleges that both the university and its police department failed to adequately address what they described as multiple armed and violent felonies against Bard’s sons, ages 18 and 19, as well as other students in the days preceding the shooting.
Those alleged incidents included burglaries and armed assaults.
Later that morning, the family attended a meeting at Young Hall with campus police and a university dean.
According to the release, the meeting left the family convinced that the university would not be able to maintain a safe environment, prompting them to begin removing the son’s belongings from the dormitory.
When the family returned to the residence hall, the attorneys claim that individuals previously involved in the alleged assaults were present, despite assurances they would not be allowed inside.
The statement further alleges that those individuals photographed the family and made verbal threats.
The attorneys contend that, even with two armed Kentucky State University police officers present, a group of 20 to 30 individuals gathered in the dormitory lobby and “violently and viciously attacked” Bard’s son and family members.
According to the release, Bard’s son was slammed into the concrete floor and beaten by multiple people, and the officer on scene allegedly lost control of the situation.
“In the chaos,” the attorneys wrote, Bard attempted to pull attackers off his son but was struck himself. Believing his son to be in imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, Bard then drew his firearm and shot two individuals whom the attorneys say were actively assaulting his son.
The legal team also stated that no charges have been filed against others allegedly involved in the confrontation and claimed the Bard family has continued to receive death threats.
The release further alleges that the mother of the deceased student has publicly called for retaliation against Bard’s son and sought assistance from criminal groups—claims that have not been independently verified by authorities.
The case against Bard was presented to a grand jury on December 16.
During a previous court hearing, a detective testified that at least one video reviewed by investigators did not show the shooting victims assaulting Bard’s son.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not issued a final determination regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting.