A statement from the chief sheriff’s office in the state of California reported that at least four people were fatally shot in Stockton, in the state of California, in the western United States, and also reported that ten were injured.
“We can confirm that, to date, approximately 14 people have been struck by gunfire and that four victims have died,” reads the statement from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, where Stockton is located.
The police indicated that it could be a “targeted” attack.
According to the sheriff’s office, shots were reported early Saturday evening on a Stockton avenue, and the investigation is ongoing.
“Investigators are examining all possibilities and working to determine the circumstances that may have led to this tragedy,” the police wrote in the note.
The shooting comes three days after an attack, on the other side of the country, in Washington DC, carried out by a 29-year-old man that caused the death of a young National Guard soldier and seriously injured a second soldier.
With more firearms in circulation than people, the United States has the highest firearm mortality rate of all developed countries.
Murders are a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far been unable to contain, as Americans continue to be very attached to guns.
In 2024, excluding suicides, at least 16,700 people were killed by firearms.
Since the death in September of Charlie Kirk, an influencer popular among conservative youth and linked to Trump, the extremely polarized country has witnessed an increase in acts of political violence with firearms.