Stockton Mayor on city’s response to latest in serial killings case

Last week, a man was arrested in connection with five recent shooting deaths in Stockton and one in Oakland that police were investigating as a “series of killings.” The suspect, 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee, has been charged in three of the killings, but District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said that investigations were ongoing and the office was “confident that additional charges will be added.”Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln sat down with KCRA 3 on Tuesday to speak more about the city’s response to the killings and Brownlee’s arrest. Q: What has it been like in Stockton over the past week? Lincoln: “The last few weeks have been an immense challenge with what the city has gone through and experienced through these serial killings. But I’ll tell you that the people of Stockton, they’re resilient, they’re gritty, but they “Really thankful for the leadership of our chief, Stan McFadden, for the great work of our Stockton Police Department. And everything they did that they did through the season with our multi-agency task force to really get to the bottom of this and ultimately arrest the suspect.”Q: What kind of work is your office doing to make sure residents in the city feel comfortable again?Lincoln: “Well, we can’t forget that there were seven victims in total and six lost their lives. And as a result, their family members and entire community have been impacted. So even though we’ve been able to apprehend this suspect, you know, there’s a journey of recovery right now in healing for those family members. So the city of Stockton , we’re committed to public safety and ensu ring that that remains our number one priority.We’re committed to using every resource at our disposal to ensure our residents of Stockton are safe. The city of Stockton is a beautiful place. It really is. And we were ranked top 25 in the nation when it comes to positive momentum, population growth, we’re the 16th most fiscally solvent city in the nation, we’re the number one most diverse city in the nation.Stockton, is a very beautiful place and there’s a lot of people who take pride in their community and call it home. So we have to continue to come together as a community. We have to continue to unite. We have to continue to look out for our neighbors and check on each other and support one another, especially through this season.”Q: What are your thoughts on the gag order being denied in the Stockton serial killer case? Lincoln: “Well, I’ll defer to our district attorney’s office regarding that. I have full confidence in Stockton Police Department. I have full confidence in our district attorney’s office. And I know that they have full confidence in knowing that they had the right evidence and that they needed to get to the point where they’re at today. And so, again, this is going to be a journey for a while for these families .I would encourage the community to keep these families in your thoughts, in your prayers. But as an entire community, we have to continue to come together and work together.”Q: Looking ahead, what do you think is going to be crucial for your office to do in the coming months and years? Lincoln: “There’s certain things in life that we do that are beyond our control, right? Either certain things that you can’t predict, you can’t prevent. But what makes the difference is how you respond to those situations, not react, but how you respond to those situations. And what the city of Stockton has proven through these recent serial killings is that we have the capacity and we’re capable of responding appropriately and ensuring that our community has confidence in their leadership. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s sending that message that Stockton is not the place for senseless acts of violence. That Stockton takes pride in our communities. We have the right leadership in place on many different levels. Our leadership was tested this year and in recent weeks and months, and we answered that call.But again, there’s no words that I can say right now that are going to bring back those lost loved ones and that will bring healing to those to those families.But those families should know in our community should know that we will always do everything that we can and again, use every resource at our disposal to ensure that public safety is our top and number one priority now and moving forward, the future is bright for Stockton. Stockton will be the best city in America to live, raise a family and grow a business. That’s the vision of our city, and that’s something that we take very seriously and we don’t take lightly. So every decision that we make as a council, as mayor, our city manager, our police chief is going to be through that lens.”

Last week, a man was arrested in connection with five recent shooting deaths in Stockton and one in Oakland that police were investigating as a “series of killings.”

The suspect, 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee, has been charged in three of the killings, but District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said that investigations were ongoing and the office was “confident that additional charges will be added.”

Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln sat down with KCRA 3 on Tuesday to speak more about the city’s response to the killings and Brownlee’s arrest.

Q: What has it been like in Stockton over the past week?

Lincoln: “The last few weeks have been an immense challenge with what the city has gone through and experienced through these serial killings.

But I’ll tell you that the people of Stockton, they’re resilient, they’re gritty, but they’re really thankful for the leadership of our chief, Stan McFadden, for the great work of our Stockton Police Department. And everything they did that they did through the season with our multi-agency task force to really get to the bottom of this and ultimately arrest the suspect.”

Q: What kind of work is your office doing to make sure residents in the city feel comfortable again?

Lincoln: “Well, we can’t forget that there were seven victims in total and six lost their lives. And as a result, their family members and entire community have been impacted.

So even though we’ve been able to apprehend this suspect, you know, there’s a journey of recovery right now in healing for those family members.

So the city of Stockton, we’re committed to public safety and ensuring that that remains our number one priority.

We’re committed to using every resource at our disposal to ensure our residents of Stockton are safe. The city of Stockton is a beautiful place. It really is. And we were ranked top 25 in the nation when it comes to positive momentum, population growth, we’re the 16th most fiscally solvent city in the nation, we’re the number one most diverse city in the nation.

Stockton, is a very beautiful place and there’s a lot of people who take pride in their community and call it home.

So we have to continue to come together as a community. We have to continue to unite. We have to continue to look out for our neighbors and check on each other and support one another, especially through this season.”

Q: What are your thoughts on the gag order being denied in the Stockton serial killer case?

Lincoln: “Well, I’ll defer to our district attorney’s office regarding that. I have full confidence in Stockton Police Department. I have full confidence in our district attorney’s office. And I know that they have full confidence in knowing that they had the right evidence and that they needed to get to the point where they’re at today.

And so, again, this is going to be a journey for a while for these families.

I would encourage the community to keep these families in your thoughts, in your prayers. But as an entire community, we have to continue to come together and work together.”

Q: Looking ahead, what do you think is going to be crucial for your office to do in the coming months and years?

Lincoln: “There’s certain things in life that we do that are beyond our control, right? Either certain things that you can’t predict, you can’t prevent.

But what makes the difference is how you respond to those situations, not react, but how you respond to those situations. And what the city of Stockton has proven through these recent serial killings is that we have the capacity and we’re capable of responding appropriately and ensuring that our community has confidence in their leadership.

And that’s what it’s all about. It’s sending that message that Stockton is not the place for senseless acts of violence. That Stockton takes pride in our communities.

We have the right leadership in place on many different levels. Our leadership was tested this year and in recent weeks and months, and we answered that call.

But again, there’s no words that I can say right now that are going to bring back those lost loved ones and that will bring healing to those to those families.

But those families should know in our community that we will always do everything that we can and again, use every resource at our disposal to ensure that public safety is our top and number one priority now and moving forward, the future is bright for Stockton.

Stockton will be the best city in America to live, raise a family and grow a business. That’s the vision of our city, and that’s something that we take very seriously and we don’t take lightly. So every decision that we make as a council, as mayor, our city manager, our police chief is going to be through that lens.”