Police say the gunfire erupted around noon Sunday on South El Dorado Street; detectives are investigating.
STOCKTON, Calif. — Two men were killed and a woman in her 50s was wounded when shots were fired near the Stockton Flea Market around noon Sunday on the 2500 block of South El Dorado Street, authorities said. The woman was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
Police said officers responded to multiple 911 calls just before midday Sunday and found the two men dead at the scene. Detectives have not released the victims’ names or said what led to the gunfire. Investigators are still confirming the exact location inside or adjacent to the market, which draws large weekend crowds in the city’s Seaport District. No arrests had been announced as of Monday morning, and officials did not say whether the shooting was targeted or random.
Officers arrived after reports of gunshots shortly before noon and secured the area around the indoor market. A jewelry vendor working nearby said he saw people run as the shooting began. “I saw one running, and he had the gun on him and pointed, so I threw myself on the floor,” said Salvador Cervantes, who runs Cervantes Jewelry inside the market. Cervantes said his son came face to face with would-be robbers moments earlier but could not see who fired first from his position behind a store wall. Police said the woman who was hit suffered a non-life-threatening wound.
Authorities have not confirmed a motive. Some business owners told reporters the incident followed an attempted robbery in the market, but police have not verified that account. Vice Mayor Jason Lee said in an email Sunday night that early information indicated business owners may have acted in self-defense, while cautioning that detectives were still sorting out the sequence of events. The market’s address is 2542 S. El Dorado St., but police cited privacy rules in declining to specify the precise location of the shootings.
The Stockton Flea Market, a long-standing venue with more than 300 vendors, is a fixture on weekends and has previously drawn police responses for disturbances and reports of shots fired, according to local accounts. Cervantes said his family has experienced violence before; his father, Ignacio Cervantes, was killed during a robbery at the same building in 2012. Sunday’s killings come amid renewed attention on gun violence countywide following unresolved shootings elsewhere in the region in recent months.
Homicide detectives took over the investigation Sunday afternoon and were canvassing for surveillance video and witnesses. Officials have not identified any suspects publicly or said whether they recovered weapons at the scene. Police did not release the ages of the two men who died. Authorities said they will release names after family notifications. City officials said they expect departmental updates when more facts are confirmed. As of Monday, no community briefing or news conference had been scheduled.
Vendors described a chaotic scene as customers ducked behind counters and doors were pulled shut. “People were screaming to get down,” said a clothing seller who declined to give a name, adding that the market reopened portions of the building after officers cleared some aisles. A food worker said she helped usher customers toward an exit. “It was fast—everyone ran,” she said. Lee called the loss of life “serious and tragic” and said his thoughts were with families, employees and patrons who were present.
As of Monday morning, police said the investigation remained active, with detectives reviewing video from inside the market and nearby businesses. Officials said they would release additional information, including the victims’ identities and any suspect details, when confirmed. The next expected update could come after autopsies and witness re-interviews later this week.
Author note: Last updated January 19, 2026.