The announcement by the American police of the arrest of the accused of killing 5 people in California during the past months, sparked great satisfaction among the pioneers of social media platforms in the United States, after it caused panic among the state's residents in the recent period.
And the police announced the presence of a person believed to be a serial killer accused of killing 5 people near the city of Stockton, noting that all the victims were men and were killed in similar circumstances, and he killed them at night in a dark place, from July 8 to September 27 last .
Police revealed the names of the five victims killed in Stockton: Paul Yao, 35, who was killed on July 8, Salvador Debodi Jr., 43, who was killed on August 11, and Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, who was killed on July 30. August, and Juan Cruz, 52, was killed on September 21, and the latest of them, Lawrence Lopez, 54, was killed on September 27. He is also suspected of being involved in two murders last year.
Homicide Series Update: Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested this morning in Stockton in connection to our homicide series investigation.
During a press conference, Chief McFadden said Wesley was out hunting and we prevented another killing from happening.
pic.twitter.com/u0KfKmbhXZ
— Stockton Police Dept (@StocktonPolice) October 15, 2022
Identification of the killer
The police had previously published photos and a video clip of the accused, documented by surveillance cameras, and called on followers to help identify him in order to arrest him.
The scenes published by the police showed the suspect dressed in all black, and many details did not appear, and the police then offered a financial reward of $ 125,000 to anyone who helps find him.
On Saturday, police arrested the suspect, 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee.
The police stated, in a statement posted on its Twitter account, that they arrested him while he was looking for another victim, and the intervention of its members prevented a new killing incident, according to the police.
🔹California Serial Killer:
“Stockton LE stated the community members in Stockton became one of the strongest assets of
police as they searched for a serial killer.” 🔹
– @StocktonPolice #communities #team #Stockton #California https://t.co /ji1Oek2eeq via @YouTube pic.twitter.com/xQLXu4iHzU
— Stacy from Cali (@Stacy_NonSurfer) October 17, 2022
Stockton Police Chief Stanley MacFadden said at a news conference that investigators began monitoring him after receiving information about him a few days ago, and were able to arrest him in the city of Stockton, where most of the killings took place.
McFadden added that the accused was wearing black clothes and carrying a pistol, and the investigators noticed while he was following him going to parks and dark places and stopping and looking at them suspiciously, which prompted them to arrest him immediately.
POLICE: SERIAL KILLER SUSPECT ARRESTED: Police in Stockton, California have arrested a man they believe is the person behind a series of killings, apparently driven by "a mission to kill".
@monakabdi with what the lone survivor said.
https://t.co/li10PkPcUt pic.twitter.com/KncdsGhk7y
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) October 17, 2022
Satisfaction and praise
Communication platforms in the United States witnessed a general state of relief after the announcement of his arrest, as his presence sparked panic among the population, and activists and bloggers over the past days exchanged tips on how to stay safe, and not be in the places that he might frequent.
Citizens praised the police's ability to quickly arrest the accused and prevent any further incidents, despite the lack of information about his identity or location.
This comes as the mayor of Stockton, Kevin Lincoln, through his Twitter account, thanked the citizens who provided hundreds of advice that helped police identify and arrest the suspect.