Stockton serial killings: Police release video of 'person of interest' in case
Fox News senior correspondent Laura Ingle reports on a series of California murders tied together by footage of a suspect police seek to identify.
Police in Stockton, California announced that a suspect has been arrested in relation to six murders and one shooting since April 2021.
Stockton Police Department Chief Stanley McFadden announced that Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested while he was armed and on a "mission to kill" another victim.
McFadden said that police followed Brownlee while he was driving on Saturday morning, and while watching his "patterns," officers determined that "he was on a mission to kill" and he was "out hunting."
When police officers made contact with Brownlee at around 2 a.m. after stopping him, they observed he was wearing a mask around his neck with dark clothing, McFadden said, adding that he was armed when taken into custody.
Stockton City Manager Harry Black announced that Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested while he was armed and on a "mission to kill" another victim. (Stockton Police)
"We are sure we stopped another killing," McFadden said.
Brownlee was arrested in relation to the fatal shootings of Salvador Debudey Jr., 43; Paul Yaw, 35; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21; Juan Cruz, 52; and Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, which all took place over the last three months.
Police earlier said that the suspect is being linked to several additional incidents dating back to April 2021, which include the shooting of a 46-year-old Black woman who was unarmed on April 16, in addition to the fatal shooting of a 40-year-old Hispanic man who was also unarmed on April 10.
Stockton Police Department Chief Stanley McFadden announced that Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested while he was armed and on a "mission to kill" another victim. (Stockton Police Department)
Stockton police said during the press conference that a tip also helped officers in finding Brownlee.
McFadden said that the police department received information that brought officers to Brownlee's residence, and stayed at that location until he became mobile.
Photo provided by the Stockton Police Department shows a "person of interest" in a series of murders. A woman who survived an attack in April 2021 said authorities seemed to not care about her experience. (Stockton Police Department)
Stockton Police Officer Joseph Silva previously said that it appears the victims didn't know each other.
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Photo provided by Stockton Police Department shows a map showing the locations of each of the five murders. (Stockton Police Department)
Officials said during the press conference that Brownlee will be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
Fox News' Stephanie Pagones and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
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