Police in a Northern California city launched an investigation into potentially connected killings after detectives said they noticed patterns in some unsolved shootings.
The Stockton Police Department announced the investigation into the killings in the city, which is about 50 miles south of Sacramento, on Sept. 28.
How many shootings were connected at first?
The department said detectives noticed — in some homicides during the summer — that the victims were alone either during the night or early morning when they were shot and killed. Police also noted the victims were either walking or in their car when each of the killings happened.
The five Stockton shootings from this year took place at the following locations:
- July 8: 5600 block of Kermit Lane, near Elaine and East Robinhood drives, around 12:30 a.m.
- Aug. 11: 4900 block of West Lane, near Bianchi Road, around 9:39 p.m.
- Aug. 30: 800 block of East Hammer Lane, near Shamrock and Tam O’Shanter Drives, around 6:40 a.m.
- Sept. 21: 4400 block of Manchester Avenue, near Rosemarie Lane, around 4:30 a.m.
- Sept. 27: 900 block of Porter Avenue, near Gettysburg Place, around 1:51 a.m.
When did police connect two more shootings from a year prior?
On the night of Oct. 3, Stockton Police announced two other shootings were linked to the serial killings that occurred between July and September of this year. Police said these other shootings happened last year, on April 10, 2021, and April 16, 2021.
The shooting on April 10, 2021, took place in Oakland, about 73 miles west of Stockton, on Harmon Avenue at 4:18 a.m., an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told Nexstar affiliate KRON. The one six days later happened in Stockton near Park and Union streets around 3:20 a.m.
The victim of the April 16 shooting survived. The victim of the April 10 shooting died.
Stockton police said the shootings were connected through ballistic evidence.
Who are police searching for?
According to police, they identified a person of interest after scrubbing through hundreds of hours of video. Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said the person of interest could either be a witness or a suspect.
Police also released surveillance video of the person of interest. Before showing the video, McFadden pointed to two distinguishing characteristics — the person’s uneven stride and upright posture.
Aside from this person of interest, nobody has been named a suspect in any of the shootings.
How much is the reward for a suspect’s capture?
Stockton Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Stockton Crime Stoppers and an anonymous donor have contributed to a total reward of $125,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
