‘He was hunting’: Suspect arrested in California serial killings

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STOCKTON, CA (KTXL) – Police in California announced Saturday that an arrest has been made in connection with a series of murders in Stockton over the past few months.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden thanked several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as the Stockton community, for their assistance in the arrest.

The arrest came about thanks to community tips and “good old fashioned police work,” according to McFadden.

The chief said the surveillance team followed the suspect, Wesley Brownlee, 43, as he drove. Officials tracked his samples and “determined early this morning that he was out there looking to kill … that he was on the hunt.”

The suspect was stopped by the police around 2 am. McFadden said he had a mask around his neck when he was arrested and was found with a firearm.

“We’re confident we’ve stopped another murder,” McFadden said.

Police were searching for a man dressed in black who was captured on video at several crime scenes in Stockton, where five men were ambushed and shot dead between July 8 and September 27. Four were walking and one was in a parked car – all very late at night or early in the morning.

Police believe the same person is responsible for killing a man 70 miles away in Oakland in April 2021 and wounding a homeless woman in Stockton a week later.

Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack. Police said some of the victims were homeless, but not all. No one was beaten or robbed, and the woman who survived says her attacker didn’t say anything.

Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln thanked the community for their help and support through numerous tips.

“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Lincoln said. “Thank you for stepping up, thank you for practicing your voice, thank you for sending the hundreds of tips that come in every day.”

A total of six shootings in Stockton and one in Oakland have been linked to the killing spree.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.