*Police in Stockton, Calif. are on the hunt for a “potential serial killer” who has been linked to seven separate shootings.
According to The Associated Press, since last year, the killer has fatally shot six men and wounded one woman. Police said ballistics tests and video evidence linked the killing spree from Stockton to Oakland, which are 70 miles apart.
“We don’t know what the motive is. What we do believe is that it’s mission-oriented,” Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Tuesday. “This person’s on a mission.”
Per The AP, the first victim was killed in Oakland in April 2021. Days later, the suspect shot and wounded a woman in Stockton. More than a year passed, the other five men were killed between July 8 and Sept. 27. During the news conference, McFadden elluded that the same gun was used in each killing.
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“By definition, these shootings are a series of killings, so we do believe we could have a potential serial killer,” McFadden said, as reproted by Complex.“That’s how we’re gonna treat it. … At this time, we don’t know if it’s a person, or persons. As I said before, we have absolutely no evidence that connects a person, or persons, to any of these incidents. We are still receiving tips and we still will continue to review those tips, and hopefully more information will come forward.”
According to police, the average age of victims is 42 and, per McFadden, “the races are mostly Hispanic.”
Police released a video showing the “person of interest” being sought in connection with crimes. A reward of $125,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Stockton City Councilor Kimberly Warmsley spoke about the killings to KCRA 3.
“My message to the Hispanic community is that their safety and their well-being is our number one priority,” she said. “I will say, especially considering the district I do represent, a lot of the neighborhoods that have been targeted have been more disadvantaged areas and communities as well, so I think those patterns and the scope of where these homicides have happened kind of speaks for itself.”
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