Jason Lee is pleading for the suspects who opened fire at a children’s birthday party in Stockton, California to turn themselves in.
The Hollywood Unlocked founder and Vice Mayor of Stockton spoke at a vigil held on Sunday (Nov. 30) following a mass shooting on Saturday that left four dead, including three children, and 11 wounded, according to CNN.
“What I will say to the people that did this is: it's never been gangsta to kill kids. Never,” Lee said near the 37-minute mark in the video linked here. “You went in a birthday party and shot people's children … Parents brought their children out and they left with medical examiners. That is not human.”
He continued, “And I will say to those who are thinking of retaliation: when my brother got murdered, I thought about it too. It's human to want to hurt people who hurt people you love. But I had a choice to make and I hope that the people out there in our community make the right choice and contact law enforcement, call me, call the mayor, call whoever you know, call the pastors, call your friend, turn yourself in. Because at some point the redemption for what you did is going to happen when you see the person that created you. But you can start that process by turning yourself in and doing the right thing today.”
Lee, 48, lost his brother Rodney Townsend to gun violence in 1997 during a shooting at a downtown Stockton bowling alley. Townsend, 27, was killed after stepping into the path of a bullet intended for someone else, according to The Stockton Record.
Two of the victims from Saturday’s shooting were identified as 21-year-old Susano Archuleta and 14-year-old Amari Peterson. The ages of the other children killed were eight and nine years old.
“Early indications suggest this may have been a targeted incident,” said Heather Brent, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, at a news conference, per CNN. “This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited.”
The shooting took place inside of a banquet hall just before 6 p.m. in the northern part of Stockton. The birthday party had between 100 to 150 people in attendance, according to the sheriff’s office.
“I am confident in our team and with the work that we have done so far that we will find these animals that did this and bring them justice, but we still need the public’s help.” said Sheriff Patrick Withrow on Sunday, while pleading for members of the community to share any information with the office about the shooting, no matter how small it might be.
“We’re confident that this was not a random act,” Withrow added. “We’re not gonna say whether it’s gang related or not, until we have all the facts in front of us.”
Per NBC News, there is a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.