Store closes after Fairfield shooting; six people wounded

The Fairfield shooting killed a woman and wounded six others inside Spirit Halloween, police said, with four patients hospitalized and nobody detained.

Police identified the woman as Constance Hages, 31, after Friday’s shooting at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California. Relatives told investigators that Hages was pregnant when she died; that information came from her family.

In their Saturday morning update, Fairfield police described a preliminary assessment of a targeted encounter involving a single suspect inside the retailer. Investigators had not identified the person responsible and were examining recordings and additional evidence, the department said.

Four wounded patients remain hospitalized

The six people wounded ranged from a teenage boy to a man in his 40s, according to the police update. Four remained in critical but stable condition: a boy aged 16 and three men aged 19, 23 and 32.

The other two patients, men aged 19 and 43, had received treatment for gunshot injuries and left the hospital, police said. The department’s account therefore distinguished four people still receiving hospital care from two who had been discharged.

Officers responded at 8:30 p.m. Friday, according to police. Their assessment the following morning remained preliminary: the description of a targeted incident did not establish a publicly confirmed motive or explain the suspect’s relationship, if any, to those shot.

Shoppers escape through a mall gate

Miena Davis, who said she had recently entered Spirit Halloween, described hearing popping noises followed by another burst. Shoppers then began fleeing, she said, giving an account of the confusion inside the store rather than identifying who fired.

According to Davis, people forced open a gate connecting the shop to the rest of the mall and escaped through it. She said she ran to safety without retrieving her vehicle, which stayed in the parking area overnight.

A separate witness relayed what his wife had told him about hearing gunfire while inside the shop and seeing people run. That account was secondhand; neither witness account established the identity of the suspect or the circumstances preceding the shooting.

Spirit Halloween closure outlasts mall disruption

Spirit Halloween announced an indefinite closure of the affected location, citing support for those affected and the investigation. The retailer said it was cooperating with authorities and directed questions about the circumstances to Fairfield police.

Solano Town Center took a different approach to its wider operations, announcing that the mall would open Saturday at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. It canceled Mall-O-Ween, its scheduled trick-or-treating celebration, following the shooting.

FBI Sacramento said its Evidence Response Team was being sent to assist local investigators. Suisun City police and the California Highway Patrol also responded, although the supplied account did not specify their investigative assignments.

The investigation remained focused on identifying the suspect through video and other evidence, police said. Anyone with information was asked to call the Fairfield Police Department at 707-428-7600 or email 1030mall@fairfield.ca.gov.