World

Fairfield shooting: police describe targeted incident after one killed, six wounded

Saturday’s update adds a single-suspect account. Solano Town Center remains open but cancels its Halloween trick-or-treating event.

By NewsCubby Newsroom · Published October 31, 2026 at 3:45 PM EDT

Reviewed by Josh Kaplan · Prepared with AI assistance

The exterior and parking area at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, in July 2019. — ARCHIVE PHOTO — Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, July 12, 2019. Location background only; this is not a photograph of the October 30, 2026 shooting or its victims. Ixfd64 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia-served 1920-pixel resize; no local crop. Credit: Ixfd64 / Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · License: CC BY-SA 4.0

What to know

Seven people were shot: one died and six were taken to hospitals. Police initially reported at least three people in critical condition.
Officers responded around 8:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday, October 30, inside Spirit Halloween at Solano Town Center.
Saturday's police update described a targeted incident involving one suspect. The mall canceled its Halloween trick-or-treating event while remaining open.
The FBI announced evidence-response assistance; it did not announce federal charges or a motive.

One person was killed and six others were wounded when gunfire broke out inside a Spirit Halloween store at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, on Friday evening, October 30. Police said Saturday that the shooting involved one suspect and was targeted, according to the updated Associated Press account. Investigators had not publicly identified the victims in that report.

The Saturday update also brought a change for families planning Halloween outings: the shopping center remained open but canceled its trick-or-treating event. That operational decision, reported by AP from the mall's statement, is separate from the criminal investigation. The police characterization supplies new information about the incident; it does not identify the intended target or establish a motive.

Fairfield is in Solano County, northeast of San Francisco and southwest of Sacramento. The location should not be confused with other communities bearing the same name.

From the first response to Saturday's update

ABC News' original account, published early Saturday, places the police response at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time. The officers found seven people with gunshot wounds. One subsequently died; the other six were transported for treatment. The number of people shot is seven in total, including the person who died.

Police Chief Dan Marshall addressed reporters before midnight, when investigators were still assembling the first account. He said the shopping center had cameras and expressed hope that recordings would help. That statement described a potential source of evidence, rather than an announcement that investigators had already reconstructed the shooting from a complete surveillance record.

Bay City News, carried by ABC7 San Francisco, placed the emergency response at the shopping center on Travis Boulevard near Interstate 80. Its report identified Solano Town Center as the county's largest enclosed shopping mall. Marshall spoke at about 11:30 p.m., roughly three hours after the first response, and said the shooting appeared centered on the Halloween store. The investigation was still active at that briefing.

ABC7's local report also attributed the seven-victim count and the initial critical conditions to Fairfield police. Those conditions are the authorities' account at the time of the statement. A later medical update would be needed to establish whether any patient's condition has changed.

What changed on Saturday

The updated AP report describes a subsequent police statement identifying the shooting as a targeted incident involving one suspect. That is more specific than the first overnight announcements, which said investigators were interviewing witnesses and trying to identify who was responsible. The update did not publicly explain the relationship between the suspect and the people who were shot.

The police account developed over several stages. The department first described an active incident at the shopping center. Later came the confirmed seven-victim count and Marshall's overnight briefing. Saturday's targeted-incident assessment is the newest account reviewed here. It narrows what authorities have said about the episode, but the relationship between the suspect and those shot, the intended target and the motive have not been publicly explained.

The casualty total remained one death and six wounded in the accounts checked for this article. Authorities had not released the victims' names or a detailed public account of their identities. The available reporting also does not establish the type of firearm used, the sequence of individual shots or a verified motive. Those questions remain part of the investigation rather than established explanations for it.

Several agencies, with Fairfield leading

The FBI's Sacramento office announced that its Evidence Response Team would help Fairfield police. Straight Arrow News links the original FBI statement alongside the police account. The bureau's involvement adds an evidence-collection resource; the announcement does not state that federal prosecutors have filed charges or taken over the case.

The California Highway Patrol also assisted at the shopping center, according to local reporting. KTVU's account, carried by AOL, described the highway patrol's presence and the substantial police response visible at the mall. Its early report separately noted that witnesses had described a shooting before authorities publicly confirmed the casualty count.

In general, federal support can supplement an existing local response. The FBI's explanation of its role in active-shooter incidents lists investigators, evidence-response personnel and other specialist resources among the assistance it can provide to local agencies. That national description explains the available capabilities; it is not a list of every resource deployed in Fairfield.

The Bay City News account also includes a nearby witness's experience. Fairfield resident Michelle Marie Anderson told the agency she was dropping her niece off at the mall when she heard someone calling for help outside the store. She described that person as apparently shot and getting away from the business, with people running. Her observation records part of the immediate scene; police have not released the victims' ages or identities.

A holiday gathering changed

Spirit Halloween is a seasonal costume and decoration retailer, and the shooting occurred on the evening before Halloween. The location was therefore a store associated with holiday shopping, inside a larger center containing shops and restaurants. The Saturday cancellation affected a planned public activity rather than only the individual business where the gunfire occurred.

AP reported that Solano Town Center canceled its planned trick-or-treating event in light of Friday night's shooting. It also reported that the center remained open Saturday. These two details can coexist: canceling an organized event does not necessarily mean closing every store, and an open shopping center does not mean investigators have answered every question about the attack.

Families making plans should use the shopping center's current notices for its operations. Friday's emergency warnings and Saturday's event arrangements describe different moments. Store hours, access and activities can change independently of a police investigation, so an older social-media image or an overnight headline may not describe the arrangements in effect when someone travels there.

Witness information and the next update

Fairfield police asked people with information to contact the department at 707-428-7600 or 1030mall@fairfield.ca.gov, according to ABC7's report of the police release. People who were inside the store, elsewhere in the shopping center or nearby may have information that investigators can compare with other accounts. The public appeal is a request for evidence, not an invitation to identify suspects through online speculation.

CNN's reporting, carried by ABC17, describes another family's experience through a KCRA interview. David Bernal said his wife had been near the store's wig section when she heard gunfire and escaped through an emergency exit. He described her as shaken after returning home. Her account adds to the picture of shoppers leaving the business; investigators are gathering witness information alongside the possible camera evidence mentioned by the chief.

The next substantive developments would be a police update identifying a suspect or arrest, a charging decision, or a new account of the victims' conditions. Until such information is released, the central confirmed picture remains a fatal shooting with six other people wounded, a Saturday description of a targeted incident, and an investigation supported by several agencies. The holiday event cancellation is the immediate practical consequence for the shopping center's planned gathering.

Reporting checked October 31, 2026. Casualty, investigative and operating details are attributed to the dated sources and may be updated.