‘They didn’t listen to me’
The only known survivor of a serial killer who believes law enforcement is linked to seven attacks in Stockton and the Bay Area has shared her terrifying story with local media.
Natasha LaTour gave an exclusive interview to 209 Times, in which she recounted the night she nearly died and criticized detectives for treating her “like trash.” LaTour, 46, was living in a tent on the corner of Park and Union streets in Stockton on April 16, 2021; shortly after 3 am, she heard the sound of crunching gravel approaching her in the dark. When she got out of her tent, she saw a figure in dark clothing, face obscured by a black surgical mask, pointing a one-handed gun at her. LaTour said the person began shooting as a nearby train rushed by.
Caught between a moving train and a fence she didn’t think she could scale, LaTour told 209 times that she decided to rush the shooter, hoping to get into the street where she might be seen by a passing car. She said that as she ran toward the shooter, they dropped to one knee and continued firing with both hands. She believes she was shot nine or 10 times before the assailant walked off; the suspect never said a word.
The intersection of Park and Union streets in Stockton where Natasha LeTour was shot by a suspected serial killer in April 2021.
Google Street View
ALSO READ: Map shows where Stockton serial killer has attacked their victims
Afraid no one would find her, LaTour rolled into the street, where she was eventually found by a couple driving by, who called 911.
According to LaTour, detectives from the Stockton Police Department seemed indifferent to her horrific ordeal. “They basically treated me as if it was a drug deal gone bad,” she said. “As if I knew something that I wasn’t sharing. Throughout this process, ever since April, ever since I got out of the hospital, it was constantly me trying to reach them.”
“I don’t know if they believed it or not, but what I do know — and what’s been made very apparent — is that they just didn’t care,” she added.
More than a year later, LaTour said she learned a serial killer was believed to be operating in the Stockton area from media coverage; when she heard about the circumstances of the other shootings, she immediately noticed the similarities to her own attack. She believes if detectives had investigated her case more thoroughly, the killer might already be in custody.
“Five people died because they didn’t listen to me,” she told 209 Times.
LaTour’s attack and six killings have been tied with ballistics evidence to the same gun; the first occurred in April 2021 in Oakland. That victim has been identified by family members as Miguel Vasquez. According to Oakland police, the 39-year-old was found dead on a sidewalk after police responded to gunfire detected by ShotSpotter. Vasquez was homeless and worked odd jobs for people in the neighborhood.
“He was a really great father. He was well-known in Oakland,” Vasquez’s daughter Ines told KRON4. “Hey what kid. He was a hard worker.”
These are the killer’s known attacks:
April 10, 2021, at 4:18 am
5700 Harmon Avenue, Oakland
Miguel Vasquez, 39 (deceased)
April 16, 2021, at 3:20 am
Park and Union, Stockton
Natasha LaTour, 46 (survived)
July 8 at 12:31 am
5600 Kermit Lane, Stockton
Paul Alexander Yaw, 35 (deceased)
Aug 11 at 9:49 pm
4900 West Lane, Stockton
Salvador William Dubedy Jr., 43 (deceased)
Aug. 30 at 6:41 am
800 E Hammer Lane, Stockton
Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21 (deceased)
Sept 21 at 4:27 am
4400 Manchester Ave., Stockton
Juan Cruz, 52 (deceased)
Sept 27 at 1:53 am
900 Porter Ave., Stockton
Lorenzo Lopez, 54 (deceased)
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden, center, Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln, left, and City Manager Harry Black listen to a question about the investigation into a suspected serial killer during a news conference in Stockton, Calif., on Oct. 4.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
The suspect last struck on Sept. 27. Three days later, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden announced that the killings had been linked. “We don’t know what the motive is. … This person’s on a mission,” McFadden said at a press conference last week. “It just appears to be very fluid and intentional.”
A dedicated tip line is available at 209-937-8167, and tips can be emailed to [email protected]. Stockton police ask that people avoid dark, “isolated” areas and walk with others, when possible.