After a Halloween party, gunshots were heard around 1 am in the neighborhood of Albertine Lane at Europena Drive, located in Contra Costa County. 18 year old, Darnell Williams was arrested 4 days since the shooting at his house due to suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently at the County Jail, located in Martinez, where he is held on bail for $2.2 million.

   Williams is one of the three suspects convicted of the shooting after being denied entry to the party around 12:30 am. This is when they opened fire, hitting a 16 and 18 year old. A victim of the incident, a 23 year old woman, drove herself to the hospital after being shot in the leg. Since the shooting, all victims are expected to survive.

   This incident was not a random attack but was “isolated to specific individuals present at the party” according to Brentwood police.

   Gunshots were heard throughout the neighborhood and Sadaf Alizai (9), a local resident, witnessed the attack very close to where the shooting occurred. As police started to arrive the shooter managed to hop between Alizai’s backyard and escape the scene. They were more anxious rather than fearful because this was not the first shooting Alizai’s family had experienced in Contra Costa County.

   “We are just concerned to see who got injured and to just be aware of where we are going in the area,” said Alizai.

   Since the start of 2020 the United States has encountered a new epidemic: gun violence. Studies have shown that states with weaker gun laws have experienced 50% more mass shootings contrary to states with stronger laws. Contra Costa County has drastically more homicide deaths compared to the United States or California alone.

   “Most other types of crime fell during the initial phases of the pandemic, but gun violence increased and mass shootings in particular continue to spiral out of control,” claimed Devin Hughes from the Washington Post.

   The Brentwood house party shooting is currently still under investigation as police continue to search for the remaining 2 suspects of the crime. For now, local residents continue to recover after the violent incident that occurred this past Halloween.