One person was killed and six others were wounded when gunfire broke out Friday night inside a Spirit Halloween store at a shopping center in Fairfield, California, according to CNN en Español. The store sits within Solano Town Center, a mall roughly 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.
Fairfield police chief Dan Marshall briefed reporters on the shooting Friday night, CNN en Español reported. In a statement, the Fairfield Police Department said early information suggests the violence grew out of what it described as a targeted incident involving a single suspect inside the store.
Why it matters
The shooting landed on the eve of Halloween, one of the busiest nights of the year for costume retailers, when shoppers are typically making last-minute purchases. It also adds to a long list of American mass shootings tallied this year.
According to the Gun Violence Archive's count, the United States has recorded at least 388 mass shootings so far in 2026, CNN en Español reported. The same outlet noted that the Fairfield case follows separate shootings during Halloween celebrations in downtown Orlando.
The mall canceled its "Mall-O-Ween!" event, which had been set for Saturday afternoon and included trick-or-treating for children across the property, CNN en Español reported. Solano Town Center was to remain open on Halloween during its regular hours, according to the report.
Investigation underway, identities withheld
Detectives are working the case and examining evidence in an effort to identify whoever is responsible, the police department said, according to CNN en Español. The department said it would not release the names of the victims for now.
The FBI's Sacramento office said it sent a team of evidence-response specialists to assist Fairfield police, CNN en Español reported.
Spirit Halloween issued a statement saying the company's thoughts were with the victims' families and that it was cooperating fully with local law enforcement as authorities look into what happened. The retailer said the store would stay closed out of respect for those affected and to support the ongoing investigation, CNN en Español reported.
Solano Town Center, which lists more than 130 shops and restaurants on its website, is a regional retail hub for the area around Fairfield, a city in Solano County.
A witness describes the panic
David Bernal, who was at the scene, told CNN affiliate KCRA that his wife was near the store's wig section when the shooting began and that she fled through an emergency exit. He said she described hearing five loud bangs.
Bernal said his wife was home afterward and still shaken by what she saw. He told KCRA that she reported gunfire and then people running, screaming and crying.
CNN en Español described the story as developing and said it would be updated as more information became available.
What to watch: whether Fairfield police identify a suspect or announce an arrest, and when the department releases the names of the people killed and wounded.
