Group behind Stockton gang talks aims for 'permanent cease fire' after mass shooting

Darrell Smith, The Sacramento Bee on Dec 11, 2025

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Street gangs from across Stockton will engage in truce talks Friday night in the wake of November’s deadly mass shooting, brokered by a group formed after the Uvalde, Texas, mass school shooting that left 19 children and two adults dead three years ago.

The Texas-based Youth Peace & Justice Foundation is gathering the sides for the nighttime talks set for an undisclosed location, saying the negotiations signal “a direct and defiant response to recent and ongoing violence.”

The goal, said foundation founder Daniel Chapin, to “secure a permanent cease fire for the city.”

Investigators say multiple suspects carrying multiple weapons opened fire on revelers celebrating a 2-year-old’s birthday inside a Stockton banquet hall. Four people, including three children, were killed. At least 15 others were wounded. San Joaquin County authorities suspect the shooting was targeted but have not determined whether it was gang-related.

Chapin, who was in Stockton this week ahead of the talks, said the negotiation is critical to ending what he called a “cycle of retaliation” behind last month’s mass shooting.

He said both he and his organization received threats in the days leading up to Friday’s meeting, but the negotiations would proceed. Representing the gangs at the table: Conway Gangsters, Sinners Click, Fly Boys and East Coast Crips.

Chapin also called for a clergy member and a recognized community leader to join the negotiations, saying their presence is essential to condemning the violence and supporting long-term intervention efforts.

“We gave our word to the families of Stockton, and that word is our bond. We will not allow intimidation to win,” Chapin said in prepared remarks.

“This Friday, the choice is clear: peace over fear,” he said. “We call upon all parties — including representatives from historically rival Norteños- and Sureños-affiliated groups — to come to the table to honor the lives lost and secure a permanent ceasefire for the city.”

Foundation leaders said the gang talks are intended to launch a three-year plan to reduce violence in Stockton.

Meantime, the gunmen responsible for the massacre remain at large. About 50 anonymous tips have been called in to investigators, San Joaquin County sheriff’s officials said in their latest update on Tuesday, but detectives have little to go nearly two weeks since the Nov. 29 shooting.

The masked gunmen wore dark clothing, authorities said.

More than $130,000 in rewards have been offered by the FBI, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi and several community groups for information leading to arrests.

A San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office video directs the public to its website and the red “Information Wanted” button at the top of the page. From there, users can scroll to the second bullet point to reach the Tip 411 online submission form.

Tips are anonymous. Names and addresses are not required.

Sheriff’s officials urge anyone with information, video footage or who witnessed any part of the shooting to call the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at 209-468-5087.

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