Arrest made in series of Stockton, California, killings - NBC News

An apprehension has been made successful a series of killings that occurred successful Stockton, California, authorities announced Saturday.

Acting connected tips, constabulary watched and arrested Wesley Brownlee, 43, who was taken into custody astir 2 a.m. Saturday successful transportation with six homicides and 1 wounded shooting, Stockton Police Department Chief Stanley McFadden said astatine a quality conference.

"Our surveillance squad followed this idiosyncratic portion helium was driving," helium said. "He was connected a ngo to kill. He was retired hunting."

The main said the fishy was successful acheronian clothing, had a disguise astir his neck, and was armed.

"We are definite we stopped different killing," McFadden said.

Investigators allege the fishy utilized his conveyance successful the attacks but past got connected ft earlier opening fire. In erstwhile quality conferences and statements, Stockton constabulary indicated the shooter fundamentally sneaked up connected victims.

"His signifier and preying was astatine immoderate constituent to get connected foot," McFadden said Saturday.

Six radical were killed and 1 survived the drawstring of shootings that began successful April 2021. The astir caller was connected Sept. 27. Investigators utilized ballistic grounds to link the shootings.

Most of the victims were Latino though authorities person said they recovered nary grounds the killings were contention based. Three victims were homeless.

McFadden said astatine a quality league Oct. 4 that nary grounds existed to enactment a hatred motive. "We person nary witnesser that has said this idiosyncratic has said thing similar that, oregon adjacent spoke for that matter," helium said.

On Saturday, the main did not talk astir motive. Rather, helium credited Stockton residents for sending successful the telephone tips that helped his task unit absorption connected the suspect's Stockton residence and past shadiness him erstwhile helium drove.

"We maintained eyes connected his residence until helium became mobile," McFadden said. "We identified that he’s posing a threat."

The main said the fishy has a transgression history, the details of which McFadden did not reveal, and helium lives adjacent 1 of the homicides.

The apprehension was made astatine the northbound extremity of the city, near a assemblage center that houses a constabulary substation, and not acold from a precocious schoolhouse named for precocious Central Valley labour person Cesar Chavez.

A Stockton constabulary SWAT squad subsequently searched the suspect's residence, described arsenic an apartment, McFadden said. Findings were not divulged.

Police aboriginal posted a photograph of a 9 mm handgun connected the agency's Facebook page. It's the limb McFadden said his officers recovered successful the suspect's vehicle.

District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said ceremonial charges would beryllium announced Tuesday. "You don't travel to our location and bring this benignant of reign of terror," she said.

McFadden emphasized that the probe into the killings was ongoing, and constabulary inactive privation tips from the public.

The victims person been identified arsenic Paul Alexander Yaw, 35; Salvador Debudey, Jr., 43; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21; Juan Cruz, 52; Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54; Juan Vasquez Serrano, 39; and an unidentified 46-year-old Black pistillate who survived.

Serrano is believed to person been the archetypal victim. He was fatally changeable conscionable earlier 4:20 a.m. connected April 10, 2021, successful Oakland, constabulary said. Another shooting occurred days later, connected April 16 and progressive the unidentified woman. She told authorities that she was successful her structure and came extracurricular astir 3:20 a.m., precocious connected a antheral who was creating a disturbance and was instantly shot.

The woman described the shooter arsenic 5 feet 10inches gangly and wearing acheronian covering and a acheronian mask, constabulary said.

Yaw was killed connected July 8 astatine a parkland successful Stockton, his parent Greta Bogrow said. Bogrow, who lives successful Texas, said she has been estranged from Yaw, who had been stateless for astir 5 years.

The adjacent shooting took spot connected Aug. 11. According to constabulary Debudey was changeable around 9:49 p.m. successful a parking lot. Officers tried to execute lifesaving measures but helium died astatine the scene, constabulary said. About 3 weeks later, connected Aug. 30, Rodriguez was gunned down successful his conveyance extracurricular of his flat complex, the presumption reported.

The past 2 shootings happened days isolated connected Sept. 21 erstwhile Cruz was killed, and connected Sept. 27 erstwhile Lopez was changeable and killed conscionable earlier 2 a.m. connected the 900 artifact of Porter Avenue.

The homicides person frightened the metropolis of much than 322,000 successful the Central Valley, astir 80 miles eastbound of San Francisco.