Fairfield police now believe the deadly shooting inside a packed Halloween store on Friday night was a Fairfield Halloween store shooting carried out as a targeted attack by a single gunman, who fled before officers arrived and remains at large. The update, issued on Saturday, is the first major shift in the investigation since the night of the shooting, when police said they had identified no suspect and did not know a motive.
Gunfire broke out inside the Spirit Halloween store at Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Friday, 30 October 2026, a Halloween-season evening when the store was packed with shoppers. Seven people were struck by gunfire. One person died at the scene, and the six wounded were taken to hospitals, at least three of them in critical condition, according to police.
On Saturday, the Fairfield Police Department issued a new statement on social media that sharpened the picture considerably. "Based on preliminary information obtained during the investigation, the shooting is believed to have stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the Spirit Halloween store," the department wrote. Investigators, the statement added, are "zeroing in on a single suspect who fled the Solano Town Center before officers arrived and remains at large."
Police also said detectives are actively reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify the person responsible. "Detectives continue to actively investigate this case, reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify the individual responsible for this heinous act of violence. Currently, we are not releasing additional details about the incident," the department said.
The announcement followed confirmation that the FBI's Sacramento field office had deployed its Evidence Response Team to assist Fairfield police in processing the crime scene at the shopping centre. Evidence response teams are specialist units that document, collect and preserve physical evidence from large or complex scenes, and their involvement underlines the scale of the task facing investigators inside a busy retail store.
Fairfield sits about 50 miles north-east of San Francisco, and Solano Town Center is one of the area's main shopping malls. Friday night was the last shopping night before Halloween, and costume stores across California were crowded with families and last-minute buyers.
In the first hours after the shooting, the picture was far less clear. Police Chief Dan Marshall told reporters late on Friday night that the scene was still very active, that no suspect or suspects had been identified, and that it was not yet clear whether a single person had opened fire. Officers from neighbouring Suisun City provided mutual aid, and California Highway Patrol officers helped search the mall and manage traffic. Police said at the time that no areas outside the mall were on lockdown, and that the victims' identities and ages had not been released.
The new statement answers two of the biggest questions from Friday night — whether the attack was random, and whether police are looking for one person or more — while leaving others open. Police have not named the victims, have not described a weapon, and have not said what connection, if any, the gunman had to the people who were shot. The word "targeted" means investigators believe the victims were chosen rather than struck at random, but police have not explained the basis for that assessment, and it would be wrong to speculate about a motive they have not stated.
The Saturday update matters for three reasons. First, it reframes the risk to the public: a targeted attack by a known type of suspect is a different policing problem from a random mass shooting, even though the gunman remains at large and police have warned the public to stay alert. Second, it narrows the investigation to a single suspect, which focuses the video review and witness work on one person's movements in and out of the store. Third, the FBI's involvement signals that the physical evidence is extensive — a store full of merchandise, shoppers and cameras produces a large scene to work through methodically.
For shoppers and mall workers, the practical message has not changed: the suspect has not been caught, and police are asking anyone with information, photographs or video from Friday night to come forward. Police previously gave a tip line, 707-428-7600, and an email address, 1030mall@fairfield.ca.gov, for information about the mall shooting.
The Fairfield Police Department's statement is, so far, the fullest official account of the new position: "Based on preliminary information obtained during the investigation, the shooting is believed to have stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the Spirit Halloween store."
Its closing line set the tone for the next phase: "Detectives continue to actively investigate this case, reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify the individual responsible for this heinous act of violence. Currently, we are not releasing additional details about the incident."
On Friday night, Chief Dan Marshall had described the scene in stark terms, telling reporters: "There is still a very active crime scene and investigation going on right now." That caution — no suspect identified, no motive known — was the official position until Saturday's update replaced it.
Halloween-weekend shootings in crowded public places carry a particular shock, because they strike at ordinary family routines. The Fairfield case also arrives in a week when California has already seen more than one shooting at a Halloween store: a separate shooting on Friday afternoon at a Spirit Halloween in Madison Heights, Michigan, killed a 21-year-old Detroit man, and police there are treating that case separately. The two incidents are not believed to be connected, and conflating them would mislead readers; what links them is only the setting and the season.
The update also shows how fast a major investigation can move once video evidence is reviewed. Within roughly a day, police went from "no suspect identified" to a public statement that they are zeroing in on one person. That speed can reassure the public, but it also raises the stakes for accuracy: every detail police release now will be tested against the footage and witness accounts as the case develops.
Detectives will continue reviewing store and mall surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and shoppers, and working with the FBI's Evidence Response Team on the physical scene. Police may release a description of the suspect, images from surveillance footage, or further information about the victims once families have been notified and investigators judge that release will not harm the hunt.
Until an arrest is announced, the case remains an active manhunt for one suspect. Anyone who was at Solano Town Center on Friday night, or who saw someone leaving the area in a hurry, is urged to contact Fairfield police on 707-428-7600 or by email at 1030mall@fairfield.ca.gov.
Was the Fairfield Halloween store shooting targeted?
Police said on Saturday that, based on preliminary information, the shooting is believed to have stemmed from a targeted incident involving one suspect inside the store.
Has the suspect been caught?
No. Police said the single suspect fled Solano Town Center before officers arrived and remains at large.
How many people were hurt?
Seven people were struck by gunfire: one person died at the scene and six were taken to hospitals, at least three in critical condition.
Is the FBI involved?
Yes. The FBI's Sacramento field office deployed its Evidence Response Team to help Fairfield police process the crime scene.
Is this connected to the Michigan Spirit Halloween shooting?
No connection has been reported. The Madison Heights, Michigan, shooting is a separate case, and police have not linked the two incidents.
Related coverage: Fairfield Halloween store shooting leaves one dead, six wounded in California; Spirit Halloween shooting kills Detroit man in Madison Heights; Tennessee manhunt: escaped killer Jacob Morley still at large as reward hits $17,500.
Sources: Fairfield Police Department statement via New York Post, 31 October 2026; USA TODAY, 31 October 2026; Fairfield Police Department and Chief Dan Marshall briefing, 30 October 2026.
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