# Teen suspect in deadly mass shooting at California Halloween store appears in court to face murder charges

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/teen-suspect-in-deadly-mass-shooting-at-california-halloween-store-appears-in-court-to-face-murder-charges/
- Published: 2026-11-15T03:01:03+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T03:20:15+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/14/us-news/teen-suspect-in-deadly-mass-shooting-at-fairfield-spirit-halloween-appears-in-court/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- A 17-year-old pleaded not guilty over a fatal shooting in a Fairfield Halloween shop.
- Two people, including an unborn child, died and six others were wounded.
- Prosecutors are seeking to try the teenager as an adult.

## Summary

Seventeen-year-old Monte Smith pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges over a fatal shooting at a Halloween shop in Fairfield, California. Prosecutors allege he targeted a man involved in a previous dispute and opened fire in a busy store, and are seeking to have him tried as an adult.

The shooting took place on 30 October at a Spirit Halloween store in Solano Town Center mall, where more than 100 shoppers were present. Constance Hages, 31, who was 13 weeks pregnant, and her unborn child died; six other people were wounded. Smith faces two murder counts, three attempted murder counts and three assault counts. He was reportedly on probation for a 2025 shooting at a school car park, and remains in juvenile hall while prosecutors await a report to inform the adult-court decision; his next hearing is 10 December.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.