Police have offered awards totaling $85,000 for information on five fatal shootings in Stockton, Calif., since July, police said.
After reviewing surveillance footage, detectives located an unidentified “person of interest,” Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden wrote Saturday on the department’s Facebook page. Police released a grainy still image of a man in black clothing and a black hat, taken from behind.
The latest killing occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday when a 54-year-old man was shot dead in a residential area north of downtown, McFadden said.
He was the fifth man shot within a few square miles since July 8, police said. McFadden said detectives believe, “based on our investigation and the reports we have received,” all five homicides are related.
In the city of 320,000 residents about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the state capital, Sacramento, everyone walked alone when the victims were killed in the evening or early morning, police said.
The victims ranged in age from 21 to 54; four were Hispanic and one was white, McFadden said.
“We are committed to protecting our community and using all resources, including you, to resolve these cases. We need your help!!!! If anyone has information about these investigations, please call us immediately. Remember, we of victims have grieving families to address. If you know something, say something,” the person in charge wrote on Facebook.
The City of Stockton is offering a $75,000 reward, and Stockton Crime Stoppers is offering an additional $10,000 reward.