Just before 5:40 p.m. on Black Friday, November 28, 2025, gunfire erupted at Westfield Valley Fair Mall, sending shoppers and employees scrambling.
According to the San Jose Police Department (SJPD), the shooting left three people wounded: an adult man, an adult woman, and a 16-year-old girl. All suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Students and mall workers alike found themselves hiding, running, or sheltering and now, in the aftermath, they are left grappling with what safety means in public spaces.
Several Del Mar students were inside the mall when the shooting began; some working part-time jobs at stores, others shopping with friends.
For many at Del Mar High School, that Friday night meant a sudden, frightening escape instead of holiday shopping or a routine work shift.
In Q, near the center of the mall, junior Genesis Delgado heard shots and saw workers sprint toward the exit. With glass walls and no safe hiding place, she and those inside ran out through emergency exits.
“They ran out of the door […] one girl held the door open for everybody to run through,” Delgado said.
Delgado estimated it took approximately four minutes from the first shot to being outside of the mall.
At Old Navy on break, sophomore Jason Born Lee and junior Alison Galdamez were off shift in the employee break room when the alarms started.
“People started banging on the door […] then it just opened,” Lee said.
Employees and customers moved quickly to a back emergency area while the store locked down. They sheltered for about 20–30 minutes before being escorted safely out.
At Fresh Society, near the gunfire, senior Adrien Fuentes was at the register, preparing to leave, when shots rang out. He dropped to the ground.
Employees shut the door and later led remaining shoppers out after police secured the scene, about 45–60 minutes later. “I was really close to a gunshot,” Fuentes said.
Many students described feelings of panic, fear and a lasting change in how they view crowded places.
Delgado said returning to crowded social settings soon after the incident “felt really weird.” Galdamez said she still replays images in her mind whenever she thinks about walking back into work. Fuentes admitted even ordinary loud sounds now make him flinch.
For Lee and Galdamez, the next day meant returning to work at Old Navy. “My heart was beating fast,” Lee said. “I felt calm at moments, but my heart was still beating fast.”
Galdamez described the decision as difficult: “It was insane having to go back so soon.”
Authorities arrested a 17-year-old suspect on Sunday, December 1. Police and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office say they will seek adult charges, charging him with attempted murder and assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
For now, the case remains in juvenile court, where a hearing is scheduled for December 15 to determine whether it will be transferred to adult court.
Prosecutors say the shooter fired six times, striking his intended target and two bystanders.
Westfield Valley Fair reopened Saturday at noon under heavy police guard. Mall management has not responded to requests for comment on changes to security or store-reopening procedures.
At Del Mar, some students say they’ll avoid mall visits for now, or at least stay alert.
Others wonder what steps schools and local businesses will take to keep teens safe.
For many, Friday’s “Black Friday rush” won’t be remembered for deals, but for the moment when a routine shopping trip became a fight for survival.
