Wesley Brownlee

Serial Killer

Wesley Brownlee and the Stockton Serial Shootings

Overview

Wesley Brownlee is an accused American serial killer charged in connection with a series of shootings in Northern California. The attacks occurred in Oakland and Stockton between April 2021 and September 2022. Seven men were killed during the wider series of linked shootings, and one woman survived an attempted murder. Brownlee has pleaded not guilty and has not been convicted of the killings. The victims were generally attacked while alone in isolated or poorly illuminated areas. Most of the shootings occurred late at night or during the early morning, when streets and parking areas were largely deserted. Investigators reported that the victims were not robbed and that the attacks did not appear to be motivated by gang conflicts. The apparently unprovoked nature of the shootings created widespread fear that a gunman was deliberately hunting vulnerable people on the streets.

The First Oakland Shootings

The earliest fatal shooting associated with the case occurred in East Oakland on April 10, 2021. Juan Vasquez-Serrano, whose name has appeared in records under several variations, including Juan Miguel Vazquez Serrano and Juan Alexander Vasquez, was shot near 57th Avenue and Harmon Avenue. The location was only a short distance from the Oakland neighborhood where Brownlee had grown up. Six days later, on April 16, 2021, Mervin Harmon was shot and killed in Oakland. Harmon was remembered by relatives as a devoted father with an easygoing personality. His death was eventually connected through the wider investigation to the same sequence of shootings. However, the murder charge involving Harmon was not included in the six-count grand jury indictment announced in November 2025. During the early morning of April 16, 2021, another attack occurred in Stockton. Natasha LaTour was living in a tent near Park Street and Union Street when an armed man approached her. LaTour later said the attacker wore dark clothing and a face covering. After seeing him aim a gun at her, she moved toward him in an effort to defend herself and was shot multiple times. She survived despite suffering serious injuries. LaTour's account later became especially important because she was the only publicly identified survivor of the series. She described the attacker's clothing, behavior and method of approaching a person who was alone. Brownlee was subsequently charged with attempting to murder her. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Miguel Vasquez Age: (39), Date of Death: 2021-04-10

Survivors:

Natasha LaTour Age: (46), Date of Attack: April 16, 2021

Suspected Stockton serial killer's competency report rescheduled