Five unprovoked and seemingly random murders that have taken place over the past several months appear to have been carried out by the same person.
Police in Stockton, California have offered rewards totaling $85,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person of interest in five fatal shootings.
According to police, the person of interest has been tied to five separate slayings, the first of which took place on July 8.
All five of the victims were men who were walking alone either in the evening or early morning when they were killed, police said. All of the fatal shootings also took place in dimly lit areas.
Police told CBS News that there is also firearm evidence linking the five murders. They also shared a blurry image of the suspect taken from a surveillance camera that shows a person from behind wearing all black.
Police released some details on the string of murders they believe to be related. The most recent took place Tuesday just before 2am, when a 54-year-old man was fatally shot.
The other attacks involved a 35-year-old man fatally shot on July 8; a 43-year-old man fatally shot on August 11; a 21-year-old man fatally shot on August 30; and a 52-year-old man fatally shot on September 21.
All of the victims were ambushed in the attacks, which all occurred either very early in the morning or late at night. Four of the men were Hispanic and one was white.
None of the victims were robbed or drugged, according to officials, who have yet to publicly name the victims.
The most recent killing took place Tuesday, just before 2am, when a 54-year-old man was shot in a residential area of Stockton, Police Chief Stanley McFadden said.
Stockton City Manager Harry Black said the city would offer a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, and the city’s crime stoppers unit would pay $10,000 cash reward, making the total reward $85,000.
Police say they are now reviewing other unsolved murders to see if there are any additional connections.
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