17-year-old arrested in Spirit Halloween shooting that killed pregnant woman, injured 6 others

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in last week’s shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in California that killed a pregnant woman and injured six other people, police said Monday.

The suspect, whose name will not be released because he is a juvenile, will be charged with one count of murder but could face an additional count of murder because victim Constance Hages, 31, was pregnant, Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall said.

The teen was arrested in Suisun City, a municipality adjacent to Fairfield, where the shooting took place at the Solano Town Center mall around 8:30 p.m. Friday, police said at a news conference Monday.

A 16-year-old boy and two men, ages 19 and 32, are in critical condition, Marshall said. A 23-year-old man was in critical and stable condition at the hospital, and two other men, ages 19 and 43, were treated for gunshot wounds and released, according to authorities.

All but one of the victims still hospitalized Monday were stabilized, with one still in critical condition, Marshall said.

The shooter entered the store and targeted a specific person inside when he opened fire, said Officer Michelle Belyea, a police spokeswoman. Marshall said the shooter used a handgun and there may have been an earlier altercation between him and a victim.

The suspect opened fire on a vehicle at a local high school last year and was detained for a few months as a result, Marshall said. He deplored what he called a lack of accountability in this matter.

“This event shouldn’t have even happened,” Marshall said. “California has become extremely lenient when it comes to responsibility toward young people. »

He said detectives identified a suspect hours after the attack, but did not want to warn him. The teen was arrested at his home Monday afternoon, Marshall said.

The suspect would have acted alone, he added.

Fairfield, a city of more than 122,000 people, is about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.