One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting after a graduation ceremony at Fairfield High School on Wednesday, according to police. The ceremony was for Sem Yeto High School, a continuation school which shares a campus with Fairfield High.
(Video player below: Couple recall moments shooting happened after Sem Yeto HS graduation in Fairfield)
The Fairfield Police Department said officers responded to the shooting, which took place in the parking lot, around 7:15 p.m.
In a brief press conference police confirmed the person who died in the shooting was 18 years old. The three other victims, ages 11, 20 and 25, were taken to a hospital.
(See the press conference below.)
A man who attended the ceremony told KCRA 3 the shooting happened in the parking lot after it ended as pictures were being taken. A father whose daughter went to support a friend at the graduation heard gunshots and started running.
Amanda Prieto, who lives next to the school, said she first heard the shots while she was on the phone in the backyard.
“It dawned on me quickly how close that rapid fire was,” Amanda Prieto said. “I looked over the fence and people were just screaming and running through the parking lot. It was horrific.
LiveCopter 3 footage over the scene showed graduation balloons left on a car in the parking lot. Several evidence markers and apparent bullet holes could be seen in windshields.
(Video below: Coverage of the shooting from Thursday evening.)
Several witnesses have told KCRA 3’s Esteban Reynoso that the shooting was traumatic for them.
“People keep getting shot at this school and it’s [not] getting fixed,” a witness named Alyssa told Reynoso. “It’s sad. It’s really sad.”
A suspect has not yet been identified, police told KCRA 3’s Peyton Headlee. It is still unclear whether the shooting victims are students.
“My heart is breaking for the students and families involved,” Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy said. “I’m shaken to my soul. The shooter will face justice.”
Two more graduations are scheduled for today in the district: Fairfield-Suisun Adult School at 2 p.m. and Armijo High School at 6 p.m.
Three more ceremonies are planned for Friday, including Rodriguez High School at 9 a.m., Public Safety Academy at 2 p.m., and Fairfield High School at 6 p.m.
It is not clear if police plan to ramp up security at these ceremonies.
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