Stockton, California police arrest serial killer suspect

Stockton, California A man suspected of killing six men and wounding a woman in a series of shootings in northern California armed himself with a handgun before dawn on Saturday to search for another victim, police said. He was arrested while driving through the streets of Stockton where he was suspected of being harassed.

Police Chief Stanley McFadden said at a news conference that investigators began watching the suspect and stopped him in his car around 2 a.m. in the Central Valley city where five shootings occurred. .

Wesley Brownlee, 43, of Stockton, dressed in black, wearing a mask around his neck and carrying a gun, was “going hunting,” McFadden claimed.

“I’m sure we stopped another killing,” he added.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Brownlee had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.

Police photos showed a black and gray weapon that the suspect was believed to be carrying. It appears to be a semi-automatic pistol containing non-metallic materials.

Police were looking for a man dressed in black who was captured on video at several crime scenes in Stockton where five men were ambushed and shot dead between July 8 and September 27. rice field. parked car.

Police believe it was the same person who killed a man 70 miles away in Oakland in April 2021 and injured a homeless woman in Stockton a week later.

Investigators say ballistics tests and video evidence are linked to the crime.

A moment of silence was held at the press conference for the victims.

Juan Vazquez Serrano, 39, was murdered in Auckland on April 10, 2021, and Natasha Latour, 46, was shot in Stockton on April 16 of that year but survived. His five men killed in Stockton this year were his 35-year-old Paul He Yeo, who died on July 8. Salvador Debudey Jr., age 43, died August 11. Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, died August 30. Juan Cruz, 52, died on September 21st. Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, died on September 27.

Police said Brownlee had a criminal record and is believed to have lived in several cities near Stockton, but did not provide further details.

Authorities received hundreds of pieces of information after announcing the search, and investigators found and monitored where Brownlee lived.

“We were able to narrow down the possible suspects based on the tips we got to the department and Stockton Crime Stoppers,” McFadden said. We tracked him down, and we saw his pattern and determined early this morning that he was on a killing mission.”

McFadden added that Brownlee was taken into custody after engaging in behavior deemed threatening, including going to a park or dark area and stopping and looking around before driving.

Investigators were trying to determine the motive for the attack. Police said some victims were homeless, but not all. No one was beaten or robbed, and the woman who survived said her attacker said nothing.

The police chief thanked the various local, state and federal agencies that participated in the investigation, including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Local investigators have also worked with Chicago police to determine whether the killings may be related to two 2018 murders in the city’s Rogers Park neighborhood. The suspect’s video showed a man dressed in black with a peculiar gait.

However, Chicago police said Friday that nothing appeared to be related.