Solano Town Center canceled a planned Halloween trick-or-treating event after seven people were shot inside a seasonal costume store.
FAIRFIELD, Calif. — A Halloween celebration planned for families at Solano Town Center was canceled Saturday after a shooting inside the mall’s Spirit Halloween store left one person dead and six others wounded the night before.
The shooting transformed what had been scheduled as a holiday weekend at one of Fairfield’s main shopping centers into an active homicide investigation. Fairfield police said officers were called to the mall at about 8:30 p.m. Friday and found seven people with gunshot wounds. One victim died, and six others were taken to hospitals. At least three were in critical condition.
The mall, which has more than 130 stores and restaurants, remained open Saturday, but its planned Halloween trick-or-treating event was canceled following the violence. The event had been scheduled for late Saturday afternoon and was promoted as a mall-wide activity for children and families.
The timing of the shooting added to the disruption. Gunfire erupted on the evening before Halloween inside a store devoted to costumes and seasonal decorations, as customers across the country were making final holiday purchases. Witnesses at the Fairfield mall described people suddenly running from the area as the emergency response unfolded.
Daniela Seabra Rios told the Los Angeles Times that she and her son were in a vehicle in the parking lot across from the store when they saw people fleeing. Another shopper’s family described receiving a panicked call from an employee elsewhere in the mall after gunshots were heard while stores were preparing to close for the night.
Police and emergency crews converged on the shopping center as portions of the complex were searched and secured. Officers interviewed witnesses and began reviewing evidence while other agencies assisted Fairfield police. The FBI’s Sacramento office also sent an Evidence Response Team to help with the investigation.
Authorities had not released the names or ages of the seven victims by Saturday morning. They also had not announced an arrest, identified a suspect or disclosed a possible motive. Police said the violence appeared to have been centered on the Spirit Halloween store, but investigators had not publicly determined whether the shooting was targeted.
The mall’s posted schedule before the shooting reflected a busy Halloween weekend. In addition to regular shopping, the center had promoted seasonal activities around the property. The cancellation of Saturday’s trick-or-treating event marked an immediate public consequence of the shooting beyond the continuing police investigation and hospital treatment of the wounded.
Fairfield Police Chief Dan Marshall said investigators were seeking information from people who were at the mall and expected surveillance cameras could help establish what happened. Detectives continued working through witness accounts and possible video as they tried to identify the person or people responsible.
As Halloween activities continued elsewhere Saturday, major questions about the Fairfield shooting remained unanswered. Police had not disclosed what led to the gunfire, whether the victims knew the shooter or when further information about the victims or a suspect would be released.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.