Police in Stockton, Ca., linked seven shootings — six fatal — to a possible serial killer who remains at large. Officials confirmed that the string of seemingly random homicides began in April of last year — more than a year earlier than previously believed — and they warned there could be additional victims, NPR reports. Police have drawn connections to all seven shootings by using ballistics evidence and checking that against a statewide database, as well as surveillance video footage from some crime scenes. "So, as the investigation continues, there's definitely a possibility that there could be more," said police public information officer Joe Silva. Detectives are is scouring older shooting homicides for potential links to the recent spate of violence.
Last week, authorities said a serial killer may be responsible for shooting deaths that have shaken residents of Stockton, which occurred between July 8 and Sept. 27. They said that the victims had all been men in the city. New information indicates that a 40 year-old Hispanic man, who was fatally shot on April 10, 2021 in Oakland, is linked to the more recent shootings. Police have connected the April 16, 2021 shooting of a 46 year-old-Black woman in Stockton to the suspect. She is the only person to have survived her injuries, and the only woman who appears to have been targeted. Stockton police are working alongside several local and federal agencies to identity and capture the perpetrator or perpetrators, including the FBI, California Highway Patrol, several local sheriff's departments, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. After reviewing many hours of video surveillance, investigators believe they have located a "person of interest," citing a grainy screengrab of an unidentified person dressed in a dark hoodie and dark pants.
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