The fatal shootings of six people in California have been linked using ballistic tests and video footage, and police said during a Tuesday press conference that they are searching for a person of interest.
“We believe we may have a potential serial killer,” said Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden. “That’s how we’re going to treat it that way.”
McFadden said that individuals of interest appear on video at several crime scenes — but no evidence directly links them to the shooting. In addition, officers do not know whether there is one suspect or multiple.
McFadden said officials are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the person of interest. He then played a short clip from a security camera, which showed a man dressed in black and wearing a black hat. McFadden pointed to the person’s uneven progress and straight posture.
Stockton Police Department
Last week, officials announced that five people had been killed, ambushed and shot in the dark alone in recent months in Stockton. Paul Yew, 35, was murdered on July 8; Salvador Debude Jr., 43, died on 11 August; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, died August 30; Juan Cruz, 52, died on September 21; And Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, died on Sept. 27, the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s office said Monday.
The latest victim, Lopez, was shot shortly before 2 a.m. in a residential area north of the city.
His brother, Jerry Lopez, told KXTV-TV, “He was just someone who was out in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong circumstances.” “It’s hard to process that this happened.”
Four of the victims were walking alone and the fifth was in a parked car when they died in the evening or early morning. Stockton Police Officer Joseph Silva said no one had been robbed or beaten before the murders, which took place within a few square miles, and that no one knew each other. The shootings also don’t seem to be gang or drugs related.
Police said the shooting of a man at around 4:15 a.m. on April 10, 2021 in Oakland has also been linked to the violence in Stockton, police said. Juan Vasquez Serrano, 39, was shot multiple times, according to the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau. It was not immediately clear whether the man was also alone when he was killed.
During Tuesday’s press conference, McFadden said the only surviving victim, a black woman, was in her tent last year when she encountered a gunman. The accused also fired several bullets, but she was successful in defending herself. She described the suspect as 5’10” to 6 feet tall and wearing all dark clothing, a dark mask and a dark jacket. She said the suspect didn’t say anything to her.
According to McFadden, most of the victims were Hispanic men, and their average age was 42. He said some of the victims were homeless and some were not.
“We don’t know what the motive is. What we believe is that it’s mission-oriented,” McFadden said Tuesday. “This person is on a mission.”
The total reward for information leading to the arrest is up to $125,000, with a $25,000 donation from the ATF on Tuesday, police said.
Stockton is home to 320,000 residents, and is located approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the state capital, Sacramento.
