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A suspected California serial killer appears to be “on a mission” police have said, although they admit they are still baffled as to what that mission is.

The gunman has so far shot dead six men and wounded a woman in a 18-month killing spree in the Stockton and Oakland areas.

There is a $125,000 (£109,000) reward for information leading to an arrest.

The victims appear to have little in common, no particular ethnic group seems to have been targeted and while some were homeless, others were not. None were beaten or robbed and they don’t appear to have known each other.

“We don’t know what the motive is. What we do believe is that it’s mission-oriented,” Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Tuesday. “This person’s on a mission.”

The first victim was 39-year-old Juan Vasquez Serrano, who was shot multiple times in Oakland in April last year.

Days later the woman was shot and although wounded managed to scare off the attacker by walking towards him.

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She described him as wearing a dark-coloured hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, dark-coloured pants and an all-black COVID-style face mask.

Paul Yaw was the first of the Stockton victims to die Pic: Greta Bogrow
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Paul Yaw was the first of the Stockton victims to die Pic: Greta Bogrow

The killer than appears to have laid low for for more than a year before switching his attention to the Stockton area, around 70 miles from Oakland.

On 8 July this year Paul Yaw, 35, was shot dead, followed by Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, on 11 August; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, on 30 August; Juan Cruz, 52, who died on 21 September.

The most recent victim was Lorenzo Lopez Sr., 54, who was shot dead on 27 September.

He “was just a person who was out here at the wrong place, at the wrong time, at the wrong circumstance,” his brother, Jerry Lopez, told local television station KXTV-TV. “It’s hard to process that this has happened.”

Lorenzo Lopez, the most recent victim, died on 27 September Pic: Jerry Lopez Family
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Lorenzo Lopez, the most recent victim, died on 27 September Pic: Jerry Lopez Family

Stockton Police said four of the victims were walking alone while the fifth was sitting in his car.

It is believed the same gun was used for both the Oakland and Stockton shootings.

Police admit they have little to go on apart from some indistinct CCTV footage.

“To be honest, we just don’t know,” Stockton Police Officer Joseph Silva said. “This person or people who are out doing this, they are definitely very bold and brazen.”

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Elon Musk says he’s created his own political party – the ‘America Party’

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Elon Musk says he's created his own political party - the 'America Party'

Elon Musk says he has created a new political party – the America Party –
after asking his followers if he should do so in an online poll.

It follows his public falling out with Republican President Donald Trump.

On Friday, the billionaire had asked his followers on X whether a new US political party should be created.

On Saturday evening he wrote on the same platform: “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.

“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

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Trump threatens to ‘put DOGE’ on Musk

The world’s richest man made the announcement just one day after President Trump signed a tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which Musk had fiercely opposed.

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Musk had previously said we would form and fund a new political party to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill.

From bromance to bust-up

The Tesla boss backed Trump’s election campaign with more than a quarter of a billion dollars, later rewarded with a high profile role running the newly created department of government efficiency (DOGE).

But observers of the two men, both with huge wealth and reputations, wondered how long the bromance would last.

Elon Musk receives a golden key from U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump gave Musk a warm send-off in the Oval Office in May. Pic: Reuters

In May Musk left the role, still on good terms with Trump but criticising key parts of his legislative agenda.

After that, the attacks ramped up, with Musk slamming the sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination” and Trump hitting back in a barbed tit-for-tat.

Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billion-dollar federal subsidies that flow to Musk’s companies, and said he would even consider deporting him.

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Is this the most powerful Trump’s been?

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Is this the most powerful Trump's been?

👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈

Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ has passed and he’s due to sign it into law on Independence Day. Mark Stone and David Blevins discuss how the bill will supercharge his presidency, despite its critics.

They also chat Gaza and Ukraine, as Donald Trump meets with freed Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander and talks to Vladimir Putin.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

13 people have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, according to local media reports.

Officials have also said more than 20 are missing from a girls’ camp in Texas.

As much as 10 inches (25 centimetres) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far.

A flood watch issued on Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to seven inches (17 centimetres) of rising water.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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