Crime & Safety
Mall Shooting: Prosecutors Seek To Charge Teen As Adult
Prosecutors are seeking to charge a 17-year-old boy as an adult for allegedly shooting three people at a San Jose mall.
SAN JOSE, CA — Prosecutors are seeking to charge a 17-year-old boy as an adult for allegedly shooting three people at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose last week, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
The boy, whose name isn't being released because he is a minor, allegedly fired a gun six times at the mall on Friday, striking a perceived gang rival and also hitting two innocent bystanders who were at the mall shopping, prosecutors said.
San Jose police officers arrived at about 5:40 p.m. Friday at the mall on Stevens Creek Boulevard and learned that a man and woman had been shot, as well as a 16-year-old girl. All were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive, police said.
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The teenage suspect was arrested Sunday at a home in San Jose and was booked into juvenile hall.
The District Attorney's Office is seeking to have the case transferred to adult court for the teen to face charges of attempted murder and assault with a semi-automatic firearm. A juvenile justice court judge will decide where the case will be heard.
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District Attorney Jeff Rosen in a news release Wednesday criticized the shooting, which occurred on Black Friday, a day known for holiday shopping.
"This teenager turned Valley Fair Mall into a war zone. Six bullets hit three people, shut down the city's largest mall and sent fear through our community," Rosen said. "We are filing the most serious charges and asking that they be heard in adult court, where the consequences reflect the recklessness and danger of fighting a senseless gang war inside a mall crowded with holiday shoppers."
The District Attorney's Office, through its Victim Services Unit's Mariposas Resiliency Center, is offering free counseling and advocacy to people who were at the mall and were traumatized by the shooting. Information about the services can be found at https://da.santaclaracounty.gov/were-you-westfield-valley-fair-mall-november-28-2025.
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