Teen killed in Fairfield shooting was reportedly posing for graduation photos

Fairfield Police said Thursday they were “not aware” a request had been made for officers to be present at the Sem Yeto High School graduation ceremony, prior to a shooting on Wednesday in which an 18-year-old was killed.

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In a statement, police said there is an “established process” for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District to request law enforcement at occasions like sporting events and graduations. 

“Through an internal review conducted in coordination with FSUSD administration, an attempt to make a request was submitted for the Sem Yeto graduation,” the department said in a Facebook post. “The request was not made through the established channels and the department was not aware of the request.”

The shooting occurred in the parking lot of Fairfield High School, which shares a campus with the continuation Sem Yeto High School, following the ceremony. Three other individuals, including an 11-year-old, were injured in the attack. 

Ilana Israel Samuels, a spokesperson for the district, said police coverage “was requested.”

“But it does appear there was a miscommunication about it,” Samuels told SFGATE in an email. “… We always care deeply about safety and engage law enforcement as needed, in the interest of student and staff safety.”

Samuels said school officials were “working internally” and with Fairfield police to review the process for requesting law enforcement. 

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A suspect has not been named by police, who estimated approximately 1,000 people attended the event. The teenage victim has not yet been identified by police, but Fairfield Mayor Catherine Moy told KTVU-TV the shooting was “targeted” and that the teen was a student at Sem Yeto High School who was still wearing his cap and gown when the shooting occurred.

“He had just graduated, he was stepping somewhere to get a picture and then the gunman came up,” she said. 

Moy said the three other injured people are in stable condition. Fairfield police said they are increasing the number of officers at upcoming graduation events and reaching out to other partners to assist with staffing and resources at these events.