Jason Lee is urging the suspects who opened fire at a children’s birthday party in Stockton, California, to come forward.
The Hollywood Unlocked founder and Stockton’s Vice Mayor spoke during a vigil on Sunday (Nov. 30), held after the mass shooting on Saturday that claimed four lives — three of them children — and left 11 others injured, per CNN.
“What I will say to the people that did this is: it’s never been gangsta to kill kids. Never,” Lee said around the 37-minute mark of the video linked here. “You went in a birthday party and shot people’s children … Parents brought their children out and they left with medical examiners. That is not human.”
He went on, “And I will say to those who are thinking of retaliation: when my brother got murdered, I thought about it too. It’s human to want to hurt people who hurt people you love. But I had a choice to make and I hope that the people out there in our community make the right choice and contact law enforcement, call me, call the mayor, call whoever you know, call the pastors, call your friend—turn yourself in. Because at some point the redemption for what you did is going to happen when you see the person that created you. But you can start that process by turning yourself in and doing the right thing today.”
Lee, 48, lost his brother Rodney Townsend to gun violence in 1997 during a shooting at a downtown Stockton bowling alley. Townsend, 27, was killed after stepping into the path of a bullet meant for someone else, per The Stockton Record.
Two of the victims from Saturday’s shooting have been identified as 21-year-old Susano Archuleta and 14-year-old Amari Peterson. The other children killed were eight and nine years old.
“Early indications suggest this may have been a targeted incident,” said Heather Brent, spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, during a press briefing, according to CNN. “This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited.”
The shooting happened inside a banquet hall just before 6 p.m. in north Stockton. Between 100 and 150 people were attending the birthday celebration, per the sheriff’s office.
“I am confident in our team and with the work that we have done so far that we will find these animals that did this and bring them justice, but we still need the public’s help,” Sheriff Patrick Withrow said Sunday, urging the community to share any information, regardless of how small it may seem.
“We’re confident that this was not a random act,” Withrow added. “We’re not gonna say whether it’s gang related or not, until we have all the facts in front of us.”
NBC News reports a $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
