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A 17-year-old accused of opening fire inside a crowded Spirit Halloween store at the Solano Town Center mall last week, killing a pregnant woman and injuring six others, made his first court appearance Wednesday, where a prosecutor described the shooting as an act of extraordinary violence that left families scrambling to find their children and shoppers fleeing for their lives.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Bruce Flynn offered a harrowing account of the Friday shooting as he urged Solano County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Kaufman to keep the teenager, identified as Monte Smith of Suisun City, in custody.
The incident, Flynn told the judge, was “like a terrorist act in the mall.” Smith was shopping at the mall with friends when he allegedly spotted someone with whom he had previously been involved in an altercation, according to information Fairfield police released following the shooting.
Flynn said Smith was armed with a semiautomatic weapon and a full magazine when he saw the person enter the Spirit Halloween store with family members. The intended target was greeting a couple they knew, Flynn said.
Behind them was a line of customers waiting to check out, many accompanied by their children.
He said the suspect “pulled out his weapon and started firing into the crowd of people.” “There were hundreds of people in the store, cashiers, waiting to check out, all at the front of the store,” Flynn said.
Seven people were struck by gunfire, including 31-year-old Constance Hages, a pregnant mother of four, who was killed. Hages was struck by two bullets, one of which hit her spine, Flynn said.
“She was 13 weeks pregnant,” he added, noting that the unborn baby had progressed beyond the embryonic stage, resulting in a second murder charge and a special circumstance allegation of multiple murder. The shooting also left six other people injured.
Four remain hospitalized and have undergone multiple surgeries, Flynn told the judge. Three others suffered injuries Flynn described as “somewhat minor but still requiring medical attention.” The prosecutor said a video of the shooting captures the terror inside the store and throughout the mall.
“When you watch the video, you will see people screaming and running for their lives. People were diving onto the ground, children were screaming and crying,” he said.
Parents frantically searched for their children as the chaos un folded, Flynn said. “When officers arrived, the scene was so chaotic that they couldn’t control traffic and the people fleeing” the mall.
Officers entered with rifles and riot gear, and a request for additional assistance brought in multiple police, sheriff, and fire agencies. It took hours to clear the mall and ensure there was no remaining threat, Flynn said.
People had hidden inside the mall, frightened and uncertain whether they were safe. Flynn also pointed to Smith’s previous history with firearms and violence in arguing that he should remain detained.
He told the judge that Smith previously had a misdemeanor involving possession of a semiautomatic firearm and was later involved in an assault with a semiautomatic weapon at Sem Yeto High School (which is located on the campus of Fairfield High School, where he fired into a car occupied by other young people.
Smith had gone through rehabilitation and served time in juvenile detention, Flynn said.
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