The police have confirmed that they have arrested a suspect in a serial murderer who has haunted Stockton, California.
Wesley Brownlee (43), was driving at the time he was taken into custody by police in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Authorities believe he might have been looking for more victims.
Stanley McFadden of Stockton Police stated that McFadden was on a mission, out hunting early Saturday morning.
“He was dressed in dark clothes and had a mask on his neck. He also had a firearm at his disposal when he was taken into police custody.
“We’re certain we’ve stopped another murder.”
He said, “Our surveillance team observed this individual while he was driving. He was on a killing mission, according to his pattern of driving.
That was the statement of Chief Police Officer. Brownlee was arrested after engaging with threatening behavior. This included stopping at lights and parking lots, before looking around and driving away.
At the news conference, a moment of silence was observed for victims of the suspect who terrorized the community for nearly two years.
McFadden stated that the police began to monitor the suspect’s movements after receiving tips. He was stopped in a car around 2 am in Central Valley City, where the five shootings took places, McFadden added.
Stockton police arrested Wesley Brownlee (43), early Saturday morning. Stockton law enforcement arrested Wesley Brownlee, 43. He has been accused of having shot at least seven victims in the past 18 months.
Pictured is the gun Brownlee had on Saturday when he was detained. Brownlee is said to have been out looking for a new victim on Saturday when police arrested him. All of his victims were shot to death
Stockton Police have confirmed to DailyMail.com they think the surveillance video they published earlier in the month shows the same suspect as Saturday’s arrest.
California’s serial killer – who terrorizes the city almost two years ago – has murdered nearly 2,000 people
April 2021: Miguel Vasquez Serrano was murdered in East Oakland. At the time of his death, he was living in East Oakland.
Natasha LaTour (46), was homeless when she was shot in Stockton by an alleged serial killer. Even though she was shot nearly a dozen times, she survived.
April 2021: Natasha LaTour , 46, was shot in Stockton but survived. Nearly a dozen shots were fired at her at 3.20 a.m. outside the tent in which she was staying at that time.
Paul Alexander Yaw was 35 when he died in July 2022
July 20, 2222: Paul Yaw (35), was shot to death in Stockton. The killer had only two non-Hispanic victims.
Salvador William Dubedy Jr. was shot to death on August 11, 20,22
August 11, 2022: Salvador Debudey Jr. (43), was murdered in Stockton. Debudey was an Stockton resident and his father died instantly after police attempted to revive him
August 30, 2022: Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez (21 years old) was shot and killed in Stockton. The body of Hernandez Rodriguez was discovered in a vehicle on East Hammer Lane. He was not known if he was asleep in the car at the time of the murder.
September 21st, 2022: Juan Cruz (52), was shot to death in Stockton
Lorenzo Lopez Sr. was 54 years old and the murderer’s last known victim. His murder occurred on September 27
September 27, 2022: Lorenzo Lopez Sr. (54), was shot to death in Stockton. Shortly before 2AM, Lorenzo Lopez Sr. was killed in Stockton.
His first murder suspect occurred on April 21st, and his last ‘hunt’ was less than a month before his arrest.
His arrest has been completed and he will appear in court on Tuesday. According to police, he is a suspect in a crime.
McFadden claimed that McFadden’s officers had made significant progress in this case due to ‘community tipping’ and ‘good old-fashioned police work.
Police claimed they had received many tips following the announcement of the manhunt. Investigators then located the location where Brownlee lived and monitored it.
Six gunshot deaths have occurred in California since 2021. Authorities were able to identify one murderer.
Brownlee’s killing spree was described as a reign terror’ by law enforcement authorities. Only one of Brownlee’s alleged victims was able to survive being shot.
An earlier video of the Stockton serial murderer was released by police.
Stockton Police confirmed Saturday to DailyMail.com they believed the suspect in the surveillance footage was the same individual who appears in the video.
Miguel Vasquez Serrano (39), was the first victim. He died in East Oakland, California last April. At the time of his death, he was living in poverty.
For eight months, he had lived on streets in the Seminary area of Oakland. One local resident told the Daily Beast Serrano was known around the neighborhood for his skill at fixing cars.
Brownlee then allegedly targeted Natasha LaTour (46), who at that time was homeless and living in Stockton’s streets.
The woman was camping in the tent near Union and Park streets when an older man, dressed in dark attire approached her holding a gun.
Before he started shooting, he said nothing.
He ran straight at her and she tried to get on the road. After spotting a car passing her, she asked passengers to dial 911.
Although she was shot nine times, she survived and told the police what had happened. She recalled then waking up at the hospital four days after her nine-shot wound.
This summer, in the early part of July, was the last victim.
Paul Yaw (35), died July 8. Salvador Debudey Jr. (33) died August 11. Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez (21) died August 30. Juan Cruz (52) died September 21.
Lawrence Lopez Sr. was his most recent victim. He died September 27.
Five of the seven victims killed by this serial killer are Hispanic. It is unclear whether they were targeted due to their race. Some victims had been homeless while others did not.
All of the victims did not appear to have been robbed or beat prior to being killed.
Police also stated that the shootings were not gang or drug-related.
Although police are not certain of the motive, they say that the murderer was “mission-oriented.”
The law enforcement also doesn’t know why the killer took over 400 days to rest between his April 2021 spree and July this year, when he resumed killing.
Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln declared Saturday, following the arrest, that residents of the community should be allowed to “rest a bit easier tonight.”
“I would like to emphasize this to Stockton residents, the United States, and the rest of the world. Stockton can work together if the citizens come together. Stockton will offer a safe place for people to live and raise families as well as a chance for them to start businesses.
CCTV footage previously released shows the suspect in dark clothing limping about Stockton during the early hours of the morning.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden addresses a press conference held at Stockton Police Department Headquarters about Wesley Brownlee’s arrest in connection to a string of murders that took place in Stockton (Calif.), Saturday Oct. 15, 2002
Brownlee was linked by police to seven shootings within the Oakland/Stockton region in the past 18-months
An earlier video of an unidentified suspect in dark clothes and walking with an “uneven stride” was released by police.
