14-Year-Old Victim ID’d in Calif. Mass Shooting at Child's Birthday Party, Which Killed Three Kids By Sean Neumann 14

The 14-year-old California boy who was shot and killed in a mass shooting during another child’s birthday party on Saturday night has been identified as Amari Peterson — as the boy’s family continues to mourn his death.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child,” Peterson’s family wrote in a GoFundMe set up two days after his death to help his family cover funeral expenses.

“No family should ever go from planning birthdays to planning funerals,” the fundraiser continued.

PEOPLE previously reported that the Nov. 29 shooting took place at a banquet hall in Stockton, Calif., injuring 15 people in total.

At least four people died from injuries sustained during the shooting, according to officials with the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office — including three children and a 21-year-old man. The 21-year-old was later identified as Susano Archuleta, according to CBS News.

Local authorities said the three children who died were aged 8, 9, and 14 years old.

Peterson’s family remembered the 14-year-old as “a bright, loved, and promising young soul whose life was taken far too soon by a senseless act of violence.”

“Amari was a football player, a basketball player, a brother, son, and cousin,” Peterson’s family wrote, calling his death an “unimaginable tragedy.”

“He was making plans and looking into colleges of choice,” the family added. “He was NOT involved in any gang activity. The only mistake this sweet boy made was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was simply being a kid at a kids’ party.”

More than 100 people were gathered at the banquet hall for a 2-year-old girl’s birthday party when shots rang out, according to the Associated Press.

Roscoe Brown, the uncle of two children who were shot, called the shooting “senseless” in an interview with the AP.

“Who would come and do that to some kids?” the uncle asked.

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ABC 10 also reported Sunday, Nov. 30, that the 8-year-old victim was a student who attended the Stockton Unified Schools District.

“We are deeply saddened to learn that one of the victims of last night’s tragic mass shooting was a Stockton Unified School District student,” Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said in a statement, according to the outlet. “As educators we hurt deeply anytime a child is hurt. We hold this student’s family in our hearts, and we grieve alongside them and our entire community.”

Local investigators remained at the scene of the shooting overnight on Saturday, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference the next day. Officials were “processing evidence with assistance from the California Department of Justice,” while the ATF and FBI were also assisting in the investigation.

“Finding the person or persons who committed this crime is the number one priority,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Heather Brent said at a press conference on Sunday, according to ABC10. “Right now, we ask this community, don’t let this divide you. Make it something that brings you together, come together as a community and let’s help each other.”

Brent did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment Monday about what investigators believe to be the motive behind Saturday night’s shooting, though she did say at a news conference on Saturday night that “early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident, and investigators are exploring all possibilities.”

Meanwhile, local officials expressed shock and disbelief in the days following the shooting.

Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday that she “could not sleep” after learning about the shooting the previous night.

“I lay there in disbelief about what these families, these children, and our entire community went through,” the mayor wrote. “The trauma they are living with is unimaginable.” 

Mayor Fugazi added: “Children who saw things no child should ever see. Loved ones standing there, watching someone they care about murdered in cold blood right in front of them. These are wounds that will likely never heal, let alone quickly. This is trauma that will follow these kids and these families for the rest of their lives.”