The Stockton serial killer suspect has been charged with three murders using a “ghost gun” after being caught allegedly “hunting” his next victim in the California city.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested after a surveillance team stopped him in the early hours of Saturday morning as police claim he was targetting another victim.
He was charged with three counts of murder on Tuesday, and the district attorney Tori Verber Salazar said she expects to add charges in two other murders in Stockton, as well as one attempted murder.
Investigators believe that a serial killer is responsible for six killings between April 2021 and 27 September 2022.
A killing in Oakland has been linked to the case, but the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has not confirmed if charges will be brought against the suspect there.
Mr Brownlee, a truck driver who had recently moved from Oakland to Stockton, is also accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
A public defender representing the suspect requested that he is further arraigned on 14 November during his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Mr Brownlee, who reportedly remained unemotional during his appearance, was ordered to be held without bail.
“There are some people who are just simply too dangerous to share the streets with you and I,” Ms Salazar said at a press conference after Mr Brownlee’s arraignment.
Brownlee grew up in Oakland and reportedly has a criminal history that includes traffic violations and convictions for drug crimes in Alameda County that goes back to an arrest when he was 15 years old.
Prosecutors say that the gun used in the killings was a “ghost gun” that can be 3D printed without a serial number and circumvents the normal legal background checks.
“We can prove with high confidence the same gun was used in the three homicides we’re charging you with today,” added Ms Salazar.
“We believe we have the person responsible. I’m very, very positive in the near future you’ll be hearing additional charges as well.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
