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A father is reeling after he tried to save his 14-year-old son from gunfire that erupted at a child's birthday party in Stockton, California, per ABC News.
The shooting, which unfolded on Saturday (November 29) night at a Stockton banquet hall, left four people dead, including three children, and 11 others injured.
Patrick Peterson said he and his family were celebrating at the birthday party when shots were fired.
“I just heard gunshots, and then the shooter came in,” Peterson said. “I turned my back, and I looked at him, and I just start seeing him shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.”
Peterson spotted his son, Amari, on the floor with a gunshot wound to the chest.
“He had one bullet wound right above the heart,” he said. “He was sitting there crawling, trying to get up.”
The father then leaped over a counter to reach him and began CPR as others scrambled for safety. Peterson's young daughter was also grazed by a bullet. His son was later pronounced dead.
“It’s something that a father should never have to go through,” Peterson said.
According to San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow, the attack appeared to be a targeted shooting and likely involved multiple gunmen. No arrests have been made.
Authorities said an 8-year-old, a 9-year-old, and a 21-year-old man were also killed in the mass shooting. One wounded victim remains in critical condition.
Peterson said the tragic scene replays constantly in his mind.
“Every time I get ready to lie down, I’m like lying over my son while he’s sitting there breathin’… trying to breathe.”
The father described Amari as a “gentle soul” who loved football and basketball.
“Every day, he would tell me, ‘Dad, I love you. Dad, I appreciate you,’” Peterson said. “Every night, every morning, that boy would tell me he loved me.”
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