SAN JOSE, California. – San Jose police on Monday announced an arrest after the triple shooting at Valley Fair Mall the day after Thanksgiving.
On social media, police wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. Last night SJPD located and arrested the suspect responsible for the triple shooting at Valley Fair Mall” on Friday.
The person arrested was reportedly a 17-year-old male who was previously identified as a suspected gang activity by police, according to SJPD Chief Paul Joseph.
They shared a behind-the-scenes image of what appeared to be a young man in black Levi’s and a gray hoodie with his hands tied behind his back.
Police have not identified the suspect responsible for Friday’s 5:30 p.m. shooting outside Macy’s for Women because he is a juvenile. The Santa Clara County District Attorney said a woman helped the shooting suspect escape and the two are facing charges.
“Gang Related Clothes”
At an afternoon news conference after the arrest was announced, Police Chief Joseph said the post-Black Friday holiday event took a dark turn at the popular South Bay mall. He said it was a miracle no one was killed.
“Instead of the usual holiday hustle and bustle, gunfire tore through the Valley Fair Mall while thousands of people were inside,” Chief Joseph said. “In a day built around doors and discounts, families were diving for coverage instead of diving for deals.”
Joseph said a group of people decided to go to the mall wearing what he called “gang-related clothing.” One of them had a gun in his waistband, according to police. The police chief said a standoff with an “apparent rival gang” had broken out inside the mall.
Joseph said the juvenile suspect who opened fire in the mall was accompanied by a 21-year-old woman who was pushing a stroller with a child inside.
Earlier, investigators said a verbal altercation escalated when a man pulled a firearm from his waistband and fired several rounds. The suspect’s intended target, an adult male, was shot and wounded, Joseph said.
In addition, a woman and a 16-year-old girl, both bystanders, were hit by gunfire. All three victims suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police said everyone who was shot is now out of the hospital.
Police initially said the incident was gang-related, but that the circumstances are under investigation. At the press conference Friday, the police chief said they have reviewed hours of surveillance footage, interviewed witnesses in two cities and coordinated with their partner agencies.
The suspect was arrested at a residence in San Jose. Joseph said automatic license plate reading technology was used in this investigation.
Woman pushing stroller and previously arrested with firearm
Chief Joseph said he was limited in what he could say about the juvenile suspect, but said he had a previous arrest with a firearm and appeared to have faced little or no consequences before getting another gun and escalating his violence.
The chief said the suspect ran from SJPD officers in February of this year. The suspect had a loaded gun in his waistband and was placed on probation, according to police.
“In California, our laws do not treat gun violence with significant consequences,” Joseph said, adding that for minors, those consequences are almost non-existent. He called on lawmakers to seek reform of what he saw as a flawed system. Joseph said he is confident District Attorney Jeff Rosen will take this gun violence seriously.
Rosen spoke at the conference. He called the shooting “terrorism.” He said the prosecutor’s office would file serious charges against at least two people, including the attacker, in the next two days. Details about those charges will be made at the arraignment in a few days, Rosen said.
San Jose police arrest suspect in Valley Fair mall shooting. December 1, 2025 Photo: SJPD
Rosen clarified that there is at least one person who assisted the shooter following the incident, who is essentially viewed as an accessory after the fact.
“There is one additional person who will be charged with allowing and facilitating the escape of the shooter from the scene before he and the person who helped him escape were apprehended by the police department,” Rosen said. He identified that additional person as the woman with the stroller.
Rosen clarified that there may be other charges against the people who helped the shooter hide from police, but right now the focus is on the shooter and the woman with the stroller.
Rosen said the woman with the stroller and the shooter are not married but have a “familial relationship.” He also said the baby in the stroller was not the shooter’s child.
Mayor Matt Mahan said that while the suspect caused physical harm to a few victims, he caused a lot of emotional harm. “The videos flying around on social media paint a picture of fear,” Mahan said. “We are so fortunate that no one lost their life at the Valley Fair on Friday.”
The mayor thanked the police and emergency workers. “Guns are not toys and should not be in the hands of teenagers.”
He also echoed the police chief’s call for tougher consequences for gun violence, saying the system as it exists provides an incentive for gangs to recruit “kids” at younger ages.
Terror at the mall
A worker at the mall told KTVU they were on break at the time of the shooting.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I was very confused because I went into the toilet.”
He said that when the shots rang out, he and his colleagues ran and hid in the storeroom where they worked.
What’s next
DA Rosen said charges will be revealed during the trial for the shooter and the unidentified woman pushing the stroller on Wednesday, December 3.