Father of Stockton child killed in birthday shooting shares his anguish, as vice mayor calls for reform
The father of a 14-year-old boy killed in the deadly Stockton mass shooting shared how he feels like he's living in a "nightmare," following the loss of their son.Patrick Peterson, at a Tuesday news conference hosted by Stockton Vice Mayor Jason Lee, described how they've been struggling to eat, sleep and not think about the Nov. 29 tragedy at Lucile Avenue and Thornton Road."It really puts a weight on your mind, and with me losing my best friend, it kind of has me thinking that I'm going crazy," Peterson. "I'm looking in his room. I'm looking around the corner. I'm looking. I'm hearing him. Am I tripping? Or is he here? Because people keep telling me he's there with me. He's in my heart, but I don't see him. I don't feel him. It's like a nightmare."After his emotional speech, Lee mentioned that another one of Peterson's children was also injured in the shooting. Lee, who cited his own experience with getting shot at age 15 and losing his brother to a gang-related shooting, talked about how the region needs to do more to prevent tragedies like the Nov. 29 shooting that left four dead and 13 injured from happening again.On Tuesday morning, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow, whose agency is the lead investigator, confirmed that they are looking for multiple people in connection with the attack during a 2-year-old's birthday party. He said that investigators so far received 50 tips but that they need more.However, throughout this investigation, officials have cited concerns that witnesses are not being forthcoming with information. Multiple agencies are also offering rewards for information that could lead to at least an arrest. The total cash reward is $130,000.Withrow emphasized that tips can remain anonymous, which appears to be a concern that the vice mayor also addressed in his conference. He criticized the "no-snitch" culture that pressures people against leaving tips out of fear of retaliation. Lee cited multiple reasons that continue to plague Stockton, including a lack of investment in marginalized communities and not properly using and investing in the city's Office of Violence Prevention to help prevent crimes like these from happening again.When asked about hip hop culture's influence on crime, Lee said he does not blame the music, but he blames the people using it for evil, when the genre is meant to be used to tell stories about the community. The sheriff's office is looking for multiple people and believes at least five guns were used in the shooting. The only suspect description given was that the people were wearing dark clothing and had face coverings.Withrow said they are not at this time determining the shooting was gang-related, but confirmed that gang members were present.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
