The four people killed were 21-year-old Susano Archuleta, 14-year-old Amari Peterson, and 8-year-olds Maya Lupian and Journey Rose Reotutar Guerrero. Archuleta was the only adult among the dead. Survivors described how he hid his girlfriend and several children inside a closet as the shooting began, protecting them before he was struck in the neck and killed. His friend Emmanuel Lopez later told the Los Angeles Times that he held Archuleta as he died. Among the injured was Jasmine Dellafosse, a community activist with a mural in her honor in Stockton, known for organizing neighborhood cleanups, trunk-or-treat events, and playground improvements. She had been inspired to begin community work after one of her best friends was murdered. Lopez's young daughter was shot in the head during the attack but survived.

Stockton endured 3,680 violent crimes in 2024, nearly double the statewide rate. The San Joaquin Valley, where the city sits, recorded the highest violent crime rate in California in 2023. The city's relationship with mass violence stretches back decades. In 1989, a gunman opened fire at Cleveland Elementary School, killing five children and wounding thirty-two others in what became known as the Stockton schoolyard shooting. Teachers who witnessed that attack formed a group called Cleveland School Remembers, and its president, Niki Smith, appeared at a city council meeting after the 2025 shooting to urge officials to invest in violence prevention. Mayor Christina Fugazi said the city had approximately 5,000 gang members and 100 gangs, and that police had seized 752 guns in 2025, up from 610 in the same period the previous year.

Investigators believe the shooting was a targeted attack, though they stopped short of calling it gang-related even as city leaders did exactly that. Parole documents for one arrested man alleged that multiple gang factions were present at the party. The FBI offered $50,000 for information leading to arrests, and Stockton Crime Stoppers put forth a $25,000 reward. Two men present at the party, including the father of the birthday girl, were arrested for parole violations but were not suspected of involvement in the shooting itself. Responding officers arrived between six and seven minutes after the first 911 calls, though some were initially dispatched to a Dairy Queen next door because they received the wrong address. On December 24, 2025, Governor Newsom deployed additional California Highway Patrol troopers to Stockton, and the city council unanimously approved an $8 million state grant aimed at reducing violence through a program called REDIRECT.

In the weeks after the shooting, Stockton tried to absorb what had happened. A makeshift memorial of flower bouquets and candles appeared at the venue. Nonprofits delivered food and clothing and offered mental health counseling. Singer Burna Boy reached out to Vice Mayor Jason Lee and offered to cover the funeral costs of the victims. Two vigils were held on December 3. Lee, whose own brother had been murdered, called on the shooters to surrender and warned against retaliation. He also blamed the city council for failing to invest in violence prevention, saying, "When you don't invest in communities like these, when you don't prioritize the lives of young people, you put the bullets in the clip." On January 13, 2026, survivors and family members traveled to the California State Capitol to demand action. Amari Peterson's father described the impact of losing his son and expressed his frustration with the stalled investigation. Less than a month after the birthday party, Emmanuel Lopez, the man who held his dying friend, was himself shot and killed in nearby Lodi.