Monte Smith faces murder charges in California Spirit Halloween shooting

Monte Smith, 17, appeared in court in Fairfield, California, where he was ordered held without bail following a deadly shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in the Solano Town Center mall on October 30. Prosecutors allege the attack was a targeted act of terrorism. Smith reportedly entered the mall with an underage girl and pursued a man with whom he had a prior conflict, opening fire with a semiautomatic handgun near a crowded checkout line.

The shooting resulted in the death of 31-year-old Constance Hages, an innocent bystander. Because Hages was 13 weeks pregnant, prosecutors have filed an additional murder charge related to the death of her unborn child. Six other individuals, including a 16-year-old boy and five men, were wounded in the gunfire. Four victims remained hospitalized as of Wednesday.

During the hearing, authorities revealed that Smith was already on probation for a previous shooting incident in 2025, during which he allegedly fired into a vehicle occupied by teenagers in a high school parking lot. Following that incident, he served several months in juvenile detention before being released.