Stockton, Calif. (AP) — A total bounty of $85,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrests of five deadly shootings in Stockton, Calif. since July.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden wrote that he had found an unidentified “person of interest” in the murder after reviewing surveillance footage. Facebook Page Saturday. Police have released a grainy still image taken from behind of a person dressed in black and wearing a black hat.
The latest killing occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday when a 54-year-old man was shot in a residential area just north of downtown, McFadden said.
Police said he was the fifth person to have been shot within a few square miles since July 8. Detectives believe, “based on our investigation and reports received,” that all five murders are related.
Police said they were each walking alone when the victims were killed in the evening or early morning in the city of 320,000 residents about 80 kilometers south of the state capital, Sacramento.
Victims range in age from 21 to 54. Four of the men were Hispanic and one was white, McFadden said.
“We are committed to protecting our community and using all the resources at our disposal, including you, to solve these cases. We need your help!!!! If you have any information regarding these investigations please call us immediately.Remember our victims have grieving family members who need resolution. If there is anything, please say something,” the chief wrote on Facebook.
The City of Stockton offered a bounty of $75,000, with Stockton Crime Stoppers providing an additional $10,000.