The Fairfield Police Department on Thursday said a request to have their presence scheduled at a high school graduation where fatal gunfire broke out was never sent through proper channels and was thus never received.  

On Wednesday, one person was killed and three were injured in the parking lot at the graduation ceremony for Sem Yeto Continuation School, which was held at Fairfield High School’s Schaefer Stadium. 

According to police, concern was raised afterward that the department was not at the event, as law enforcement is typically a presence at large ceremonies like graduations. 

“We are aware that it has been suggested that the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District did not request our presence at the Sem Yeto graduation ceremony on June 3rd,” said a statement issued by the Police Department. “We want to be clear that we have a collaborative relationship with the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, and this is not an accurate characterization of what occurred.” 

The Fairfield Police Department responded to a shooting in a Fairfield High School parking lot following a graduation ceremony for Sem Yeto Continuation High School at Schaefer Stadium in Fairfield on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Officers remained on the scene from 7:15 p.m. until approximately 1 a.m., interviewing some of the 1,000 witnesses who attended the graduation ceremony. (Griffin Jones/Bay City News)

According to the department, there is a memorandum of understanding between the district and the department to provide officers at school events, but the district has to request it. 

“The established process requires the request be submitted to a designated person within the department, who then processes the request,” police said.  

The department said that an attempt to make a request was submitted for the Sem Yeto graduation, but it was not made through the established channels and the department was not aware of the request. 

When asked what happened and whether there was a problem with making a security request with the Police Department for the event, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District spokesperson Ilana Israel Samuels said the district is “working with PD and working internally to look into the processes in place,” adding that the district always cares deeply about safety and engages law enforcement as needed, in the interest of student and staff safety. 

Both agencies emphasized that they have a collaborative relationship and are working to resolve any communication issues. 

The shooting is the second case to rock the small Bay Area city in recent weeks following viral videos of 16-year-old Fairfield High School student Maurice Williams being struck repeatedly by a Fairfield police officer on May 20.