Monte Smith, 17, was arrested Monday for the deadly Spirit Halloween store shooting in Fairfield, California.
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office has charged the teen with two counts of murder with a multiple murder special circumstance, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a semi-automatic weapon and multiple gun enhancements. He also faces a charge for a prior violent-offense conviction, classified as a strike. Prosecutors are now moving to transfer Smith out of juvenile court and into adult criminal court, arguing he should remain detained based on the severity of the alleged crimes, his criminal record and the threat to public safety.
Smith is scheduled to appear in Juvenile Court on Wednesday for an arraignment and detention hearing. Under California law, prosecutors seeking adult prosecution of a 17-year-old must convince a judge that the accused is not amenable to rehabilitation under juvenile court supervision. The DA’s office has already filed the required transfer petition.
“The law guiding the prosecution of minors has shifted substantially over the last 30 years,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote in its statement on the case.
The Oct. 30 bloodbath at the Solano Town Center mall left Constance Hages, 31, dead and six others injured. Police said Smith entered the Spirit Halloween and opened fire on a customer he allegedly intended to target following a previous altercation. Six other people were also struck by the gunfire.
The victims ranged in age from 16 to 43. Four remained hospitalized after the attack, including a 19-year-old man in critical condition. A 16-year-old boy, a 32-year-old man and a 23-year-old man were listed in stable condition, while two other victims, ages 19 and 43, were released after treatment.
Witnesses inside described immediate panic and confusion as the first shots rang out. A 15-year-old who was in the checkout line with her sister at the time recorded cellphone footage from the floor as customers scrambled for cover.
The accused gunman had already spent several months in juvenile hall over a separate shooting at a high school parking lot in 2025, Fairfield police said. That prior case now factors into the current charges as the strike allegation.
The shooting erupted inside the seasonal retail store at the mall in Fairfield, a city of about 120,000 located between San Francisco and Sacramento. The store was packed with Halloween shoppers just one day before the holiday when the gunfire began.
Smith’s next court appearance is set for Wednesday in Juvenile Court.