Authorities say a suspected serial killer in California is in jail.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, is accused of killing six men and wounding a homeless woman in a series of ambush-style shootings dating back to April 2021.
Stockton police said they intercepted him early Saturday morning as he embarked on an alleged “killing mission,” according to the city’s police chief.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said in a statement on Saturday, “We are confident that we have stopped another murder.
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Brownlee is said to have ambushed his victims in parks and sidewalks in the dark of night without any publicly known motive.
Most of the shooting took place in Stockton, officials said. The first shooting occurred in Oakland, California on April 10, 2021.
Most of the victims were Hispanic, and a tall, thin, black-clad stalker was seen on surveillance video at some of the crime scenes, officials said. was not Some were homeless.
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Stockton police earlier this month shared a snippet of surveillance video that showed a lanky figure walking around the corner of the building. .
The lone survivor, Natasha Latour, told police the attacker said nothing.
“There was no exchange of words,” she recalled in an interview with an independent San Joaquin County investigator. Local news outlet, 209 Times“It didn’t come closer. I didn’t say anything. I just started shooting. I saw it, I saw a flash.”
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Brownlee is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for arraignment.
On April 10, 2021, Juan Vazquez Serrano’s 39-year-old father of three was shot dead at around 4:20 am on Harmon Avenue in Auckland. FOX 2 San FranciscoHe suffered multiple gunshot wounds, triggering the city’s ShotSpotter system. However, the shooter disappeared before the responding police arrived.
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Six days later, 46-year-old LaTour, a homeless woman living in a tent, woke up at around 3:20 a.m. and looked outside to see a man with a gun allegedly open fire without saying a word. Yes. She said she was hit many times and tried to fight back. Her attacker left and she survived with the help of a passing couple who offered her help.
Investigators said the suspect remained dormant until this summer, with five men shot dead between July and September. Police previously told Fox News Digital that he was alone in a “very dark” location during the ambush.
At approximately 12:30 am on July 8, gunmen ambushed and killed 35-year-old Paul Yeo in Kermit Lane.
Then, at around 9:45 pm on August 11, 43-year-old Salvador Debdi Jr. was killed in another shooting.
Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, was murdered in East Hammer Lane at approximately 6:40 am on August 30th.
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Juan Cruz, 52, died of his injuries after he opened fire on Manchester Avenue at 4:30 am on September 21.
Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, died Sept. 27 when he was shot around 2 a.m. along Porter Avenue.
Three days later, Stockton police said they had evidence linking five recent shootings to one suspect, and days later said they also attributed two attacks in 2021 to the same suspect. I was. Tips were pouring in, McFadden said on Saturday.
Investigators immediately focused on Brownlee as a person of interest and began to monitor him.
“Our surveillance team tracked this guy down while he was driving,” the chief said. [Oct. 15], he was on a mission to kill. “
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Around 2 a.m., police saw him visit a series of darkened locations, including a park, and observe the area before moving on.
“He was out hunting,” McFadden said.
He was “dressed in black and had a mask around his neck” when police stopped him. And he had a gray and black pistol.
“I’m sure we stopped another killing,” McFadden said.
Chief said he personally joined SWAT members and homicide investigators during the search of Brownlee’s apartment.
Investigation is ongoing.
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Authorities are asking anyone with additional information to call our hotline at 209-937-8167 or anonymously report it to StocktonCrimeStoppers.org.
Brownlee is being held without bail on murder and firearms charges.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Audrey Conklin of Fox News and Associated Press contributed to this report.