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Teen charged in Spirit Halloween store shooting that killed pregnant mom of four was let back on streets after school lot shooting

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Cite

Joudeh, N. (2026, November 4). Teen charged in Spirit Halloween store shooting that killed pregnant mom of four was let back on streets after school lot shooting. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16265339/Teen-charged-Spirit-Halloween-store-shooting.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-11-04 · by Nina Joudeh

Quick Summary

Monte Smith, 17, was charged with murder and attempted murder for shooting and killing Constance Hages, a pregnant mother of four, at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California. Prior to this incident, Smith had been arrested and later released after an earlier school parking lot shooting in the same year. The Solano County District Attorney's Office requested that Smith be tried as an adult due to his criminal history and public safety concerns.
Written by AI on 2026-11-04, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Monte Smith, 17, was charged with murder after fatally shooting Constance Hages, a pregnant mother of four, at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California. Six others were also wounded in the attack on November 2, 2026. This incident came just months after Smith was previously released from custody following an earlier high school parking lot shooting in 2025.

The Solano County District Attorney's Office has requested that Smith be tried as an adult due to his criminal record and the serious nature of these crimes. They argue that he should remain detained because of public safety concerns. Hages died from her injuries at the age of 31, with a GoFundMe campaign set up by her aunt raising $8,362 for support.

Written for “Teen Charged In Shooting That Killed Pregnant Mother” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Teen Charged In Shooting That Killed Pregnant Mother
Crime & Law · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 4% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Daily Mail
Hedges 4 of 36 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes the initial shooting incident at the Spirit Halloween store on October 30th, while Article B covers a follow-up story about the background and release of the suspect involved in the same shooting.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the initial shooting incident that occurred on Halloween Eve at Spirit Halloween in Solano Town Center mall. Article B reports on a subsequent development involving the arrest of Monte Smith, who is charged with the same shooting, but focuses more on his background and previous incident.”
ABC News (US)
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 67/100
“While both articles describe a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Solano Town Center that resulted in one death and multiple injuries, Article B focuses on the background and arrest of the suspect Monte Smith after the event, which is a different specific occurrence.”
Dawn
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 72/100
“Article A describes the initial shooting incident, while Article B reports on the arrest of a suspect in connection with that incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 8 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the immediate escape of a survivor from the shooting incident at Spirit Halloween in California, while Article B focuses on the background of the shooter and his prior incidents.”
Times of India
Hedges 1 of 11 claims Outlet record 59/100
“While both articles describe the shooting incident at the Spirit Halloween store in Solano Town Center on October 31st that left one person dead and six injured, Article B focuses on the background of the suspect, Monte Smith, involving a previous unrelated incident.”
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 16 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A describes the shooting incident that occurred at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California on October 31st. Article B discusses a subsequent arrest and details about the suspect's prior history but covers a different specific event by focusing on legal aftermath rather than the initial shooting.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 65/100
“Article A describes the shooting incident at Spirit Halloween store that occurred on October 31st, while Article B discusses the background of the accused shooter and is about the aftermath of the same shooting event.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 4 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes a shooting incident in Michigan involving two acquaintances, while Article B focuses on a separate shooting at a Spirit Halloween store that killed Constance Hages.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the initial shooting incident at the Spirit Halloween store, while Article B reports on a teen charged for that same shooting but also mentions his prior involvement in another unrelated shooting.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9439 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Nina Joudeh
28 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 'Due to the seriousness of these crimes, the minor's criminal record, and the threat to public safety, the people will argue that Smith remain detained,' the DA's office said.
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🔮 An entire Georgia police force has resigned amid a bitter feud with the city's mayor over allegations of secret surveillance.
🔮 ‘Shane and Leah will forever be remembered for their beautiful smiles, their kind hearts, their love for others, and the happiness they brought into this world.
Also by Nina Joudeh
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 28 articles by Nina Joudeh →

Topics

California Fairfield KXTV Spirit Spirit Halloween

Subjects

Smith PERSON · 6× Fairfield GPE · 5× Spirit ORG · 4× California GPE · 2× Clanisha Morton PERSON · 2× Constance Hages PERSON · 2× Hage PERSON · 2× KXTV ORG · 2× Monte Smith PERSON · 1× Spirit Halloween ORG · 1×

Narrative

Ambulances and emergency crews rushed to Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, after reports of multiple people being shot, with three suffering critical injuries Hage's aunt, Clanisha Morton, organized a GoFundMe in support of her niece that has since raised $8,362 Hage's aunt, Clanisha Morton, organized a GoFundMe in support of her niece, writing, 'This heartbreaking loss has left behind four children, grieving parents, and a family trying to face a pain that words can barely hold.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-04
🔮 'Due to the seriousness of these crimes, the minor's criminal record, and the threat to public safety, the people will argue that Smith remain detained,' the DA's office said.

Claims (24 extracted, 1 hedged)

The teen charged in the Spirit Halloween store massacre that killed a pregnant mom of four was let back on the streets after a prior high school parking lot shooting. asserted
that → charge → shooting
Monte Smith, 17, had already been arrested in another incident before the deadly attack at Spirit Halloween, according to FOX News. uncertain
Smith → arrest → News
That case involved gunfire in a local high school parking lot after school hours in 2025. asserted
case → involve → 2025
Fairfield Police said he was sentenced and later released. asserted
he → say → ?
Smith was arrested November 2 after the attack at Fairfield's Solano Town Center left pregnant mother of four, Constance Hages, 31, dead and six others wounded. asserted
others → arrest → four
The Solano County District Attorney's Office has charged him with two counts of murder and asked a judge to move his case to adult court. asserted
Office → charge → court
Prosecutors highlighted Smith's criminal record to explain why they want him remanded into custody. asserted
him → highlight → custody
'Due to the seriousness of these crimes, the minor's criminal record, and the threat to public safety, the people will argue that Smith remain detained,' the DA's office said. asserted
office → argue → safety
Smith is facing two murder counts and facing three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a semiautomatic weapon and multiple gun enhancements, reported the outlet. asserted
outlet → face → weapon
In this photo taken from video provided by KXTV on Saturday, October 31, 2026, police vehicles are seen outside a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California. asserted
vehicles → take → Fairfield
Constance Hages, 31, died in a mass shooting inside a Spirit Halloween store in Northern California that left six people wounded and one person dead, police said The 17-year-old's arraignment and detention hearing was scheduled for November 4 at 9am. asserted
hearing → die → am
Fairfield Police Department wrote in a press release, stating: 'Of the six surviving victims, four remain hospitalized and are receiving treatment.' asserted
four → write → treatment
'A 19-year-old male remains in critical condition, while a 16-year-old male, 23-year-old male, and 32-year-old male are all reported to be in stable condition. asserted
male → remain → condition
' 'Although an arrest has been made, our work is not over,' Fairfield police said. asserted
police → make → ?
'The criminal justice process will now move forward, and we remain committed to ensuring accountability for the lives impacted by this senseless act of violence.' asserted
we → move → violence
On October 30, Smith entered the Spirit Halloween store. asserted
Smith → enter → store
Once inside, he saw another customer investigators believe was the intended target. asserted
investigators → see → customer
The teenager then pulled out his gun and shot multiple rounds at the now-dead pregnant victim. asserted
teenager → pull → victim
The gunfire hit the mother and six others inside the store. asserted
gunfire → hit → store
He then fled the scene, missing officers by minutes. asserted
He → flee → minutes
A school resource officer helping investigators identify the suspect recognized Smith as a former student while reviewing store surveillance footage and immediately notified authorities. asserted
investigators → help → authorities
Ambulances and emergency crews rushed to Solano Town Center in Fairfield, California, after reports of multiple people being shot, with three suffering critical injuries Hage's aunt, Clanisha Morton, organized a GoFundMe in support of her niece that has since raised $8,362 Hage's aunt, Clanisha Morton, organized a GoFundMe in support of her niece, writing, 'This heartbreaking loss has left behind four children, grieving parents, and a family trying to face a pain that words can barely hold. asserted
words → rush → that
'Constance was deeply loved, and her absence has created an overwhelming void in the lives of everyone who knew and cherished her,' she added. asserted
she → love → her
The family is asking for 'prayers, compassion, and any help people are able to give.' As of Wednesday afternoon, the campaign has raised $8,362 of a $12,000 goal. asserted
campaign → ask → goal
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