A man suspected of killing six men and wounding a woman in a series of shootings in northern California has a criminal history that includes traffic offences and convictions for drug crimes, authorities said.
Stockton police arrested Wesley Brownlee, 43, on Saturday after surveilling him as he drove through the streets of the city, armed with a handgun and possibly searching for another victim, police said.
In January 1999, Brownlee was sentenced to two years in prison in Alameda County for possessing and selling a controlled substance, the California corrections department said.
He was released on parole after serving seven months.
Brownlee was again convicted in Alameda County in December 2001 and sentenced to three years for the same crime. He was released on parole in May 2003 and discharged three years later.
Public records from San Joaquin County show Brownlee committed two traffic offences in 2021 and 2022, along with a felony in 2017 and a drink or drug driving offence in 2009, KCRA-TV reported.
San Joaquin County prosecutors have been working with the Stockton Police Department to review the evidence and expect to file charges on Tuesday, said Elisa Bubak, a spokesperson for the San Joaquin County prosecutor’s office.
It was not immediately known if Brownlee has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.
Police said after Brownlee’s arrest that he was dressed in black, had a mask around his neck and a handgun, and “was out hunting” for another possible victim while driving around the Central Valley city, where five men were ambushed and shot to death between July 8 and September 27.
Four were walking and one was in a parked car.
Police believe the same person was responsible for killing a man 70 miles away in Oakland in April 2021 and wounding a woman in Stockton a week later.
Investigators said ballistics tests and video evidence linked the crimes.
A police photograph showed the black and grey weapon allegedly carried by the suspect.
It appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun containing some nonmetallic materials.
At Saturday’s press conference, a moment of silence was held for the victims.
Juan Vasquez Serrano, 39, was killed in Oakland on April 10 2021, and Natasha LaTour, 46, was shot in Stockton on April 16 that year but survived.
The five men killed in Stockton this year are Paul Yaw, 35, who died on July 8; Salvador Debudey Jnr, 43, who died on August 11; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, who died on August 30; Juan Cruz, 52, who died on September 21; and Lawrence Lopez Snr, 54, who died on September 27.
After receiving hundreds of tips, investigators located and watched the place where Brownlee was living. They watched his patterns, determined he was out searching for another victim and arrested him, authorities said.
Police said some victims were homeless, but not all.
None were beaten or robbed and the woman who survived said her attacker did not say anything.
