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A tragic incident at a toddler’s birthday celebration claimed the lives of four individuals, including three children, and left 11 others injured.
STOCKTON, Calif. — Grieving the loss of 14-year-old Amari Peterson, his family is grappling with the aftermath of a mass shooting that shattered a festive gathering in Stockton, California.
Patrick Peterson, Amari’s father, shared that the weekend was intended to celebrate a two-year-old’s birthday, not to become a somber occasion for remembering his son just days later.
Reflecting on the day Amari was born, Peterson described him as “the perfect gift from God.” Now, he holds on to the heart-wrenching memory of his son’s last moments.
“The image that haunts me is my son crawling on the ground while I desperately tried to save him,” Peterson recounted.
Amari died after being shot above the heart, Peterson said. He and his family were among dozens of people celebrating inside the building Saturday when gunfire erupted. Four people died and 11 others were hurt.
“I just heard gunshots and then the shooter came in,” Peterson said. “I turned my back and I looked at him and I just start seeing him shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.”
Peterson says his daughter was grazed in the chaos. He tried to reach Amari as people ran in all directions.
“Everybody (was) running off and my son is just sitting there crawling, just trying to get up,” he said. “I’m trying to give him CPR and he just has blood coming out of his face. It’s just something that a father should never have to go through.”
He says the scene replays in his mind whenever he tries to lie down.
“I’m like laying over my son while he’s sitting there breathing… trying to breathe…” he said. “Every day he would tell me, ‘Dad, I love you. Dad, I appreciate you.’ Every night, every morning that boy would tell me he loved me.”
Peterson describes his son as a “gentle soul,” loved by many and passionate about sports.
“He loved sports, he loved football. He loved basketball,” Peterson said. “He ran a little bit of track but overall, he was a gentle soul.”
He says he still can’t understand why this happened. The motive in the shooting hasn’t been released and investigators say they are still working the case.
