Stockton serial killing suspect arrested: What the police said

A handgun-wielding suspect who is suspected of shooting six men to death and one woman to injuries in a string of shootings in Northern California was arrested early on Saturday as he drove through Stockton, according to police. He may have been looking for more victims.

Police Chief Stanley McFadden said at a news conference that investigators started keeping an eye on the suspect after getting tips and stopped him in a car at around two in the morning in the Central Valley city, where five of the shootings took place.

Also read: Stockton serial killings: Police arrest suspect Wesley Brownlee

Stockton resident Wesley Brownlee, 43, had a gun, was wearing all-black, had a mask around his neck, and “was out hunting,” McFadden claimed.

“We are sure we stopped another killing,” McFadden added.

The alleged suspect’s black-and-gray weapon was shown in a police photo. It looked like a semi-automatic handgun made of certain non-metallic parts.

Five men were ambushed and killed in Stockton between July 8 and September 27. A man wearing all black was seen on surveillance footage at numerous crime scenes. One was in a parked car, and the other four were strolling.

Also read: Who is Wesley Brownlee?

Police suspect the same individual killed a man in Oakland, California, 70 miles away, in April 2021, and wounded a homeless lady in Stockton, California, a week later.

Ballistics tests and video footage, according to investigators, connected the crimes.

Police did not provide any other information beyond stating that Brownlee had a criminal history and was likely a resident of multiple locations close to Stockton.

After launching the manhunt, according to the authorities, they got hundreds of tips, and detectives found and kept an eye on Brownlee’s house.

Also read: Who is Stanley McFadden?

“Based on tips coming into the department and Stockton Crime Stoppers, we were able to zero in on a possible suspect,” the city’s police chief said. “Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving. We watched his patterns and determined early this morning, he was on a mission to kill.”

Brownlee was detained, according to McFadden, after acting in a way that seemed dangerous, such as visiting parks and dark areas before continuing on his way after stopping and taking a look around.

Also read: Stockton killings: 5 active serial killers in the United States

Investigators were looking for a reason behind the attacks. Some victims, according to the police, were not all destitute. No one was assaulted or robbed, and the woman who survived claimed her assailant remained silent.

The FBI, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were among the local, state, and federal organisations that the police chief commended for their assistance in the investigation.