A pregnant mother of four died inside a crowded Halloween store in California on Friday night while a teenage witness recorded the chaos. Six other people were wounded in the attack at the Solano Town Center mall near Fairfield.
Jocelyn Lopez Tabares, a 15-year-old shopper, feared she would not survive the shooting. She told the California Post, according to the New York Post, “I felt like I was going to die.” Her sister pulled her to the floor as shots rang out. The teen then pulled out her phone to record evidence because she thought it might be her last time living.
Violence also erupted in Delaware near the University of Delaware on Saturday night. At least six people were wounded when shots fired at a Halloween party sent costumed students running for their lives. Police responded to downtown Newark shortly after 11 p.m. as the crowd scattered in panic.
Witness Jayden Ngalim described the scene to NBC Philadelphia. He said, “People were running, screaming.” People below saw flashing lights from helicopters overhead. Another witness, Nathaniel Davila, heard sharp pops before everyone started running for cover. He thought the noise was cars at first until the chaos began.
A third witness, Landon Singleton, rushed to help a victim by pressing his shirt against a gunshot wound. The victim squeezed his hand like it was his last hope. All six victims in Delaware were taken to hospitals where their conditions remained unknown as of Sunday morning.
Back in California, the victim who died has been identified as Constance Hages. She was 31 years old and worked at San Francisco International Airport. The New York Times heard from relatives that she carried four children and was pregnant when she died.
Her relative Chelaya Colbert shared a heartbreaking wish for how to remember her. Colbert stated that she would like to remember Hages as the happy lady she was and noted that Hages loved her kids deeply. The attack happened inside a temporary store that was packed with families shopping for costumes.
Police found shell casings in Indiana too, where seven people were hurt during homecoming weekend. A gunman spotted fleeing the Bloomington scene was observed at 1:30 a.m.
