US police said Tuesday that a serial killer may have individually surprised five men in Stockton, central California, in recent months by shooting them in isolation overnight.
None of the victims were robbed or beaten for the murders — which took place within a few square miles — and none of them appear to know each other, Stockton police officer Joseph Silva said.
The shootings also appear to be unrelated to gangs or drug trafficking.
Today, a local construction company owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, donated $10,000.00 as a reward for information leading to an arrest in the murder investigation that took place between July 8 and September 27. The new total is now $95,000.00. pic.twitter.com/HYvJZMuBUJ
— Stockton Police Department (@StocktonPolice) October 3, 2022
On Friday, police authorities announced a reward of US$85,000 (about €86,400) for information about the suspect in the July 8 murders. The killer appeared on videos from various crime scenes, according to police.
The latest crime took place just before 2 a.m. (09:00 a.m., in Lisbon) last Tuesday, when a 54-year-old man was shot dead in a residential area in the north of the city center.
None of the shootings were caught by surveillance cameras and no firearms were recovered.
“We have no footage of anyone holding a gun or actually committing a crime.”Silva said, according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Still, available images, as well as ballistic evidence, link the five murders, he said.
All five men were shot with a revolver, although it is still unclear whether the same weapon was used in all crimes.
“It definitely fits the definition of a ‘serial killer’. What makes this different is that the shooter is only looking for opportunities and unfortunately our victims were alone in a dark zone”remarked Silva.
According to the police, several people may also be involved in the crimes.
“To be honest, we just don’t know. This person or people doing this are definitely very cheeky and cheeky,” he said.
Police said the victims were walking alone or in parked cars when they were killed overnight or early in the morning in Stockton — a city of 320,000 people located about 50 miles from California’s capital, Sacramento.
The age of the victims varies from 21 to 54 years. Four of the men were Hispanic and one was white.
Source: DN
