A shooting at a Spirit Halloween store inside the Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, left one woman dead and six other people wounded on Friday night, according to ABC7 Bay Area. Fairfield police identified the deceased victim on Saturday as Constance Hages, 31, and said her family told investigators she was pregnant at the time of her death.
The gunfire broke out at the costume shop in the mall at 1350 Travis Blvd., near Interstate Highway 80. Fire crews were dispatched to the scene at about 8:30 p.m., ABC7 Bay Area reports.
Why it matters
The attack struck the largest enclosed shopping mall in Solano County on the Friday before Halloween, a period when costume stores are at their busiest. Police Chief Dan Marshall said three of the wounded were in critical condition at local hospitals.
According to ABC7 Bay Area, investigators believe the shooting grew out of a targeted incident involving a single suspect inside the store, based on preliminary information gathered during the inquiry. The mall sits just off a major interstate in a city of roughly 120,000 people between San Francisco and Sacramento.
What police have said about the victims
The three victims listed in critical condition are males aged 16, 19 and 32, according to police. A 23-year-old man remained in the hospital in stable condition. Two other men, aged 19 and 43, were treated and released.
The Solano County Coroner's Office will confirm the family's account of Hages' pregnancy after an examination, ABC7 Bay Area reports. The New York Times described her as a mother of four.
Witnesses described a scene of panic. Michelle Marie Anderson, who lives in Fairfield, told ABC7 Bay Area she was dropping her niece at the mall when she heard a young person calling for help.
"He had apparently been shot and was outside, getting away from the store," Anderson said. "Everybody was running." She added: "This is what Fairfield is looking like before Halloween."
KCRA reported that new video captured the frightening moments inside the store as the shooting unfolded.
Store and officials respond
Spirit Halloween said in a statement to ABC7 Eyewitness News that the company was deeply saddened by the incident and that its thoughts were with the victims' families. The retailer said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement and that the store will stay closed until further notice while the investigation continues.
A local official said in a statement that the tragedy was being monitored and that prayers were with the seven victims, their families and the wider Fairfield community.
Search for the suspect continues
No arrest had been announced as of the weekend, and police continued to search for the gunman, according to ABC10 and Yahoo. Authorities have not publicly named a suspect or described a possible motive beyond the preliminary assessment that the violence was targeted.
Fairfield police are asking anyone with information to call 707-428-7600 or email [email protected].
What to watch: whether police identify and apprehend a suspect, and whether the coroner's examination confirms the family's statement about Hages' pregnancy.
