Police officials out of Northern California have announced that they think that they have stopped another murder in the wake of arresting a “potential serial killer” this past Saturday who is suspected of murdering six men and wounding a woman over the course of the last year and a half as part of a string of late-night assaults.
43-year-old Wesley Brownlee out of Stockton was taken into custody on allegations of homicide, as reported by Stockton Police Department officials.
As part of a new conference, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden explained that officers arrested Brownlee in two parts: “good old-fashioned police work” and tips coming from the community.
“Based on tips coming to the department’s Stockton Crimestoppers, were we able to zero in on a possible suspect,” stated McFadden. “Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving … watched his pattern and determined early this morning.”
“He was on a mission to kill,” tacked on McFadden.
McFadden explained that officers arrested the dark-clothed suspect — who at the time was wearing a mask around his neck and sporting a firearm — after making direct contact at roughly 2 a.m. this past Saturday. After tailing the suspect around various parks and many other low-light places where he would skulk around before moving on to another place, authorities “identified that he’s posing a threat.”
“He was out hunting,” stated McFadden. “We are sure we stopped another killing.”
San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar agreed with the comments from the police chief, stating, “the crime was solved because we’re Stocktonians.”
“Because you don’t come to our house and bring this kind of reign of terror and not mobilize 350,000 people — 780,000, this whole entire county — mobilized, mobilized and captured this individual whose reign of terror is no longer,” stated Salazar.
Local authorities thought that Brownlee — who sports a previous ‘criminal history — allegedly murdered a total of six people and of wounding one woman going as far back as April of 2021. While a pair of the seven murders took place this past year, the remaining shootings took place between September and July.
Most of the shooting labeled as deadly took place in the Stockton area within a radius of over four-miles of each other, According to KCRA.
According to local media outlets, public records indicate that Brownlee had various traffic and drug violations — up to and including DUI — for California and Arizona.
McFadden stated to CNN that all of the seven different victime were “alone, often caught off guard, or maybe relaxing in a vehicle or walking alone in almost pitch darkness” when attacked in the early morning.
It was reported by CNN that the jail records indicated that Brownlee was being kept in the county jail as of Saturday with no bail and that officials confirmed that he would see court for arraignment this coming Tuesday evening.
“Just because an arrest was made does not mean the investigation stops,” stated McFadden, going on to state, “the work is not done, though, as this is still a very active investigation.”
Kevin Lincoln, the mayor of Stockton, expressed that the number one priority for the city is public safety.
“I want to make this very very clear, to the people of Stockton, to the United States and around the world. When the people of Stockton come together and we unite we can get things done,” concluded Lincoln. “Stockton will be a place where people can live, raise a family and grow a business.”