STOCKTON, Calif. — Stockton has seen a wave of violent crime over the first 90 days of the year. With 16 homicides in the city, people of all walks of life have felt the pain of violence.
The Diocese of Stockton on Wednesday welcomed dozens of community members to join in a Mass for Victims of Violence.
Deacon Fidel Carrillo, Jr., coordinator of restorative justice for the Diocese, said the church wanted to let the community know that faith leaders were available for them during this difficult time.
"To be with us, to go through the grieving process of pain," Carrillo said. "Giving each other the peace of Christ so that we can push forward, especially at a time like this."
The mass comes just days after a nine-year-old was among the victims of a triple shooting in broad daylight on a truck. Two men in their late twenties were also shot. The child, identified as Amonte Ware, will need surgery on his jaw this week.
The violence hits close to home for churchgoers like Jose Nunez, whose son was killed in 2017. The death is unsolved but not forgotten.
"God is up there, and whoever did it is going to pay for it," Nunez said.
Mayor Kevin Lincoln, also in attendance, said the violence was unacceptable and had to stop. To respond to the violence, he said Stockton police have been doing additional patrols, and that the city's Office of Violence Prevention continues its work on group and gang violence.
"The community coming together for a night like this is truly what brings healing," Lincoln said.
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