‘Be advised, there are subjects down’: Stockton 911 dispatch audio reveals mass shooting chaos

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA: San Joaquin County dispatchers were bombarded with frantic 911 calls on November 29 reporting a shooting at a Stockton banquet hall.

Chilling dispatch audio obtained by the Stockton Record revealed one panicked woman saying her 15-year-old son was not breathing and that several others were injured. The dispatcher could be heard noting, “I want to advise that there is one down.”

Another caller reported that her daughter had been shot “in the right side by her ribs.” The dispatcher relayed emerging details from Lucile Avenue, alerting units on the ground that there were “multiple victims” at the scene.

As calls continued to pour in, the dispatcher added, “We’re also getting multiple callers,” grimly noting that responders could “still hear” gunfire in the background. “Oh, it’s going to be hysterical,” the dispatcher added. 

Dispatch audio reveals chaos during Stockton mass shooting

A responding officer relayed to the dispatcher, “A lot of screaming coming from the hookah bar here.” Seconds later, he pleaded, “Bring the ambulance in. We have a victim.”

Another victim was located “in the alley,” followed by “four down in the Dairy Queen parking lot.”

Officers struggled to navigate the chaos. “I got a bunch of people screaming and yelling, so I’m trying to stay with one victim outside,” a unit radioed from the scene. The dispatcher pressed on, “Be advised, there are subjects down. We are still trying to get a count.”

With bodies scattered across multiple locations, officers tried to determine whether the shooters were still at large. “Do we have any information on the suspect vehicle?” one asked.

The dispatcher answered, “Not at this time.”

Two-year-old’s birthday party turns deadly in Stockton shooting

Sheriff Patrick Withrow said the shooting erupted at a banquet hall where at least 100 people had gathered for a celebration, and that it likely involved more than one shooter. The attack appeared targeted and began indoors before spilling outside, he added. More than 14 bullet holes were punched through one entrance, each marked with evidence tags.

The hall on the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue was hosting a birthday party for a two-year-old girl. The child’s mother, Patrice Williams, told the Associated Press that family members were about to cut the cake when gunfire erupted inside the hall.

The girl’s grandmother said that as bullets tore through the air, she began throwing children into another room to shield them from the spray.

The invitation reportedly showed the party was scheduled from 3 to 6 pm. Shots were reported just before 6 pm, right as the celebration should have wrapped up.

Three children and one adult were killed in the carnage, with eleven more wounded, according to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Williams offered a public apology through the AP: “I just want to say, I’m sorry to the mothers out there who lost their kids at my birthday party. I’m here to help them whether they need anything. I don’t care what it is … I’m so sorry for everything.”

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office urged anyone with information to call detectives at (209) 468-4400 or contact Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600.