"A beautiful soul was taken too soon" Father of girl slain in Chico shooting speaks out

CHICO, Calif. — Early Monday afternoon, Chico police identified the only victim killed in Saturday's mass shooting as 17-year-old Justina Stubbe of Oroville.

Law enforcement was called after 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning after reports of a drive-by shooting in front of Cedar Pines Apartments on the 1000 block of Columbus Avenue.

A witness said that they heard an altercation early Saturday morning in the parking lot involving multiple people who attended a house party at the apartment complex Saturday night. A witness told police, from their apartment window, they saw a group of people engaged in a shouting match and called the police after seeing an individual reveal a firearm tucked in their coat.

That witness said police arrived and apprehended the individual. Approximately 30 minutes later, they continued, shots rang out from a vehicle on the street, which sped off down Columbus Avenue.

Chico police confirmed "Several callers reported that unknown suspect(s) fired multiple rounds from a moving vehicle before fleeing the area," in a press release Monday.

Sunday night, family and friends honored Justina with a candlelight vigil in Oroville.

Justina's Stubbe's father, Joshua Stubbe, gave this statement to KRCR on Monday.

"Justina was a smart, funny, caring, beautiful 17-year-old who loved life and was always down for anything. She made friends wherever she went and everybody loved her. She was always making TikToks and doing her perfect makeup. She was extremely family oriented, always making it to family BBQs and birthday dinners, and always playing "Mama Hen" to her sisters, brother and little cousins. Her laugh was contagious. When she laughed, everyone laughed with her. Nothing prepares you for a loss like this. There is a hole in our hearts that will forever be a void. A beautiful soul that was taken too early due to unnecessary violence. The outpouring of support we have received, and continue to receive, from the community is astounding. We appreciate each and everyone of you who have reached out and offered us your condolences and who have donated to Justina's GoFundMe account. We will not rest until the monster who did this to our baby is caught and behind bars and justice is served. Thank you."

As of Monday, Chico Police have not found or arrested any suspect(s) and are looking for help solving the case. "We want to assure our community that all available CPD and allied agency resources are diligently working to bring this investigation to a thorough and just resolution. As information that doesn’t compromise the investigation becomes available, it will be promptly released. "We are continuing to ask that anyone with information related to this incident contact the Chico Police Department Detective Bureau at 530-897-5820.