When the gunfire finally ended, the backyard told the story of chaos left behind—half-cut cake, overturned chairs, and tiny shoes scattered where children had been moments before. Parents clutched their shaking kids on nearby sidewalks as sirens closed in, while officers moved through the scene marking shell casings and victims. At hospitals, families waited in agonizing silence, fearing the calls they might receive. As candles replaced balloons at quiet vigils, Stockton struggled to comprehend how a child’s birthday became a moment of irreversible loss, leaving a wound that will not easily fade.
