Pregnant mother of four killed in California Halloween store shooting as police hunt gunman

Police in California are searching for a gunman who opened fire inside a crowded Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, killing a pregnant woman and injuring six others.

The victim was identified as 31-year-old Constance Hages, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the shooting on Friday, October 30. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her family told investigators that Hages was a mother of four and was pregnant at the time of the incident.

The shooting occurred at about 8:30 p.m. inside the store at Solano Town Center. Authorities have yet to identify the suspect or establish a motive.

Among those injured were a 16-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, who remained hospitalised in critical condition. A 23-year-old man was also listed in critical but stable condition, while two other victims, aged 19 and 43, were treated and discharged on Saturday.

Fairfield police said preliminary findings suggest the shooting was a targeted incident involving one suspect who fled before officers arrived.

A 15-year-old girl, Jocelyn Lopez Tabares, who was shopping for Halloween accessories with her older sister, captured part of the incident on her phone.

She told The California Post that she decided to record the incident because she wanted evidence of what was happening. She said she later called her mother because she feared she might not make it out of the store alive.

The FBI's Sacramento field office has deployed its Evidence Response Team to assist local police with processing the crime scene.