Stockton police chief says ‘stop the killing’ as they investigate serial homicides; person of interest sought

A person of interest is sought in connection with five recent killings that Stockton's police Chief Stanley McFadden said appear to be connected. However, police have not been able to determine whether the deaths are the work of one person or multiple people.“By definition, you could probably very well call these a series of killings, but at this time we don’t know if it’s a person or two or three, we just don’t know,” McFadden said at a news conference on Friday. "We believe there is some interconnectivity." At this time, it's unclear if the person of interest is a suspect or witness, he said. He said it is "very hard" to determine who is involved in the string of killings that happened from July through this month. "These incidents are occurring in the hours of darkness, these incidents are occurring where folks are alone by themselves, not in lit areas," McFadden said. These are the five cases believed to be connected:July 8 - 35-year-old Paul Alexander Yaw was killed at the 5600 block of Kermit Lane at 12:31 a.m.Aug. 11 - 43-year-old Salvador William Dubedy, Jr. was killed at the 4900 block of West Lane at 9:49 p.m.Aug. 30 - 21-year-old Hispanic man was killed at the 800 block of East Hammer Lane at 6:41 a.m.Sept. 21 - 52-year-old Hispanic man was killed at the 4400 block of Manchester Avenue at 4:27 a.m.Sept. 27 - 54-year-old Lorenzo Lopez was killed at the 900 block of Porter Avenue at 1:51 a.m.| Read More | What we're learning about the five victims of Stockton serial killingsVideo below: Stockton police chief reviews string of killings"We feel that it is interconnected somehow. But to what extent, we just don’t know at this time," McFadden said. In these shootings the victims appear to have been caught by surprise, he said. However, no footage has captured a crime or a handgun in someone’s hand. "There are no witnesses due to the location and the timing and the lack of lighting," McFadden said. "This is from our detectives not going home, staying committed to the cause and reviewing several hundred hours of video to try and get anything to go on."McFadden also mentioned there is no connection at this time to gang violence and no indication that these are hate crimes. Photo below shows person of interest sought by Stockton Police Department.“Stop the killing, we all have choices, stop the killing,” McFadden said to the person or people behind the killings. “There are people grieving, the community is grieving, the community is scared. It stops now.”McFadden said he would keep the public updated on the investigation and called for people not to spread misinformation especially as families grieve.No other suspects have been identified, he said.An $85,000 cash reward has been offered to anyone who can bring information that leads to an arrest in any of the investigations, police said. A tip line was also opened on Friday for people to submit information at 209-937-8167. People can email tips to at policetips@stocktonca.gov. Video surveillance can be submitted to Stocktonpdca.evidence.com."We are committed to protecting our community and solving these cases using all resources at our disposal," McFadden said. Video below: Stockton police chief answers questions about string of killingsMcFadden urged people to be careful when going out, especially at night."I can't say enough, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Please do not fall victim. Be alert, have your head on a swivel, stay where it's lit," he said.He also advised people to go out in groups, communicate with others and stay in well-lit areas.The department has also increased patrols, with more resources working around the clock, McFadden said. | Video Below | Family of Stockton serial killings victim hopeful investigation will lead to arrestAs of Friday there have been 43 homicides in Stockton this year compared to 32 at this same time last year, according to the police department. The clearance rate for solving homicides is roughly 50%.KCRA 3 has been keeping track of the location and amount of shootings and gun-related incidents in both Stockton and Sacramento. Click through the interactive map below.