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Stockton police arrest suspect in serial killings

California Serial Killings
Posted at 2:57 PM, Oct 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-17 16:57:15-04

Authorities in California announced over the weekend that Stockton Police had arrested the man suspected of killing six men and injuring one woman in shootings that have terrorized residents for the past several months.

Police Chief Stanley McFadden said during a news conference Saturday that they arrested 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee around 2 a.m.

McFadden added that Brownlee was driving around, dressed in black, had a mask around his neck, a firearm, and “was out hunting" for another possible victim when he was arrested, the Associated Press reported.

"Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving," McFadden said. "We watched his patterns and determined early this morning. He was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting."

McFadden said they were led to Brownlee through tips and then a surveillance team was set up to watch the alleged suspect, the Associated Press reported.

Authorities have identified those killed in Stockton as Paul Yaw, 35, who died on July 8; Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, who was killed on Aug. 11; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, who died on Aug. 30; Juan Cruz, 52, who was killed on Sept. 21 and Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, who was killed on Sept. 27.

Two shootings outside Stockton have also been tied to the killings in Stockton, police said.

Police said Juan Vasquez Serrano, 39, was killed in Oakland on April 10, 2021. A woman was also shot, but she survived. She was later identified as Natasha LaTour, 46, was shot in Stockton on April 16, 2021, the news outlet reported.