6-year-old boy, one of the victims of California shooting

The shooting death of 6-year-old Stephen Romero at a popular festival in Northern California stunned his family and neighbors.

Stephen’s father, Alberto Romero, told CNN affiliate the San Jose Mercury News newspaper that he was at home when his wife called to say she, her mother and their son had been shot at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening, that what she was saying was a lie, maybe I was dreaming,” he said.

CNN reports that “Stephen was among the three people killed Sunday evening when a gunman sneaked into the festival and began firing. Twelve others were injured at what was supposed to be a family-friendly event. About 100,000 people attend the decades-old festival each year, previous records show. And collectively, the event has helped raise “millions of dollars for local schools, charities and nonprofit organizations,” the festival’s website says. Officers engaged the suspect within one minute, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said, and the suspect was shot and killed.”

Via CNN