On Monday, police continue to search for a person of interest in a series of five fatal shootings in Stockton, Calif., which are thought to be interconnected.
“By definition, you could probably very well call it serial murders,” Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Friday.
An unidentified person captured on grainy security video could be a suspect or witness, police said, and other people could be involved in the five attacks that have occurred since July.
McFadden said all of the killings happened after dark and in areas with few security cameras. Each of the attacks resulted in a single victim.
“It wasn’t a robbery,” he said. “Items are not stolen. They don’t talk about any gang activity in the area or anything. It’s just an element of surprise.
The city is offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, with an additional $10,000 being paid by Stockton Crime Stoppers.
On Monday, the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s Office released the names of the victims: Paul Alexander Yaw, 35, of Stockton, who died July 8; Salvador Debudey, Jr., 43, of Stockton, died Aug. 11; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, of Stockton, died August 30; Juan Cruz, 52, of Stockton died September 21 and Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, of Stockton died September 27.
Stockton police spokesman Joe Silva said Monday that investigators need the community’s help to solve the murders.
“We have grieving family members asking a lot of questions and they want closure,” he said. “We just hope someone does the right thing and reports this information to our detectives.”
Paul Alexandre Yaw
Greta Bogrow, 60, of Texas, told NBC News on Monday that her son Paul Alexander Yaw was killed July 8 in the northern California town. Yaw’s death and the four fatal shootings that followed appear “interrelated”, police said.
Bogrow said she was separated from her son, who had been homeless for about five years.
“I always hoped in my heart that at some point we would be reunited and have a relationship,” she said. “It is always a mother’s dream that her children become good people. He was a good person. I just wish I had the opportunity to talk to him again in this lifetime.
Bogrow said she had been in contact with detectives about her son’s death. She doesn’t understand how someone can commit such senseless murders. She said her son was in a park when he was attacked.
“He’s a really sick person. And they prey on the weak,” she said. “My son had a big heart. He never wanted to hurt anyone… I don’t understand what kind of spirit this nobody could have.
She said whoever is responsible for the murders must be arrested quickly.
“I hope all this publicity leads to this person getting some kind of justice for what they did to my son and all the other victims and their families,” Bogrow said. “I just hope it gets him off the streets and stops him from doing this to someone else.”
Laurent Lopez Sr.
Jerry Lopez, 53, said his brother, Lawrence, was nicknamed “Lorenzo”.
Lorenzo Lopez was a father of six, whose children ranged in age from 16 to 38, his brother said.
Jerry Lopez said his older brother worked as an independent contractor and became homeless. He said a lot of people had offered his brother to stay with them, but he didn’t want to “burden” people.
“He’d rather take care of himself than have other people take care of him,” Jerry Lopez said.
He said the siblings have lived in Stockton since they were in primary school.
“No city should have to deal with this,” said Jerry Lopez. “This thing has to stop. It’s scary for our city.
He added: “It’s just hard to think why anyone would come to this. But there are people who have difficult times and troubled minds.
Salvador Debudey Jr.
NBC affiliate KCRA of Sacramento reported that Analydia Lopez, Debudey’s wife, said his murder left her devastated.
“To be honest with you, part of me died with him that day,” Lopez said. “It was tough. It was really, really difficult.
The outlet reported that Debudey was a father and that he and Lopez met 28 years ago when they were in high school. The couple reconnected later in life and were married for 12 years when he was killed in August.
The relatives of the two other deceased men were not immediately reached on Monday.
Madelyn Urabe contributed.