The father of a 14-year-old boy who was among four people killed at a child's birthday party in California over the weekend described trying desperately to save his son's life in the chaotic aftermath of a mass shooting that left 11 others injured.
"It's something that a father should never have to go through," Patrick Peterson, whose son, Amari, was killed in the Saturday night shooting, told ABC affiliate station KXTV in Sacramento.
No arrests have been announced in the attack, which unfolded in a Stockton banquet hall. Investigators have yet to say if they have identified anyone responsible for the shooting.
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said on Sunday that the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack against someone at the party and that there were likely multiple shooters involved.
Amari Peterson was one of three children, including an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old, killed in the shooting, authorities said. A 21-year-old man was also killed.
The youngest victim killed was identified by her school on Tuesday as 8-year-old Maya Lupian.
"Aspire Public Schools is heartbroken to share that a member of our APEX Academy Stockton community, Maya Lupian, was lost to the tragic act of violence over the weekend. Our deepest condolences are with Maya's family and all who are grieving," the school said in a statement posted on social media.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said one of the people wounded in the shooting remained in critical condition, while others are in stable condition and some have been released from the hospital.
Patrick Peterson said his young daughter was also grazed by a bullet during the shooting.
The father told KXTV that he and his family were at the banquet hall for a child's birthday party when the gunfire suddenly broke out.
"I just heard gunshots, and then the shooter came in. I turned my back, and I looked at him, and I just start seeing him shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot," Peterson said.
In the unfolding chaos, Peterson said he saw his son on the floor suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the chest.
"He had one bullet wound right above the heart," Peterson said of his son.
Peterson said that as people were running and diving for cover, he saw his son "sitting there crawling, trying to get up."
He said he jumped over a counter and rushed to his son's side. Peterson said he began giving his son cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Peterson said that since the shooting, the tragic scene has continuously replayed in his mind.
"Every time I get ready to lie down, I'm like lying over my son while he's sitting there breathin. ... trying to breathe," Peterson said.
He described his son as a "gentle soul," who had a passion for sports, especially football and basketball.
"Every day, he would tell me, 'Dad, I love you. Dad, I appreciate you,'" Peterson said of his son as he broke into sobs. "Every night, every morning, that boy would tell me he loved me."
The father added, "I just can't see why God would let something like this happen."