Police in California investigating a series of homicides say they are now coordinating with Chicago police, saying that the suspected killer may have also been responsible for two Rogers Park slayings that stunned the city nearly four years ago.
According to NBC affiliate KCRA in Sacramento, police in Stockton say that they are working with Chicago police in an investigation surrounding a series of murders in both cities.
At least six murders are currently under investigation in Stockton and in Oakland, and police believe there may be connection to two killings that occurred in Chicago in 2018.
The first of the two murders occurred on Sept. 30, when 73-year-old Douglass Watts was gunned down while walking his dog. The next evening, 24-year-old Eliyahu Moscowitzwas was shot in the head and killed while walking home.
Ballistic analysis showed that the same gun was used in both killings, and surveillance video of the suspect revealed that he had a “distinctive toes-pointed out” gait, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The surveillance footage led to the suspect being named the “Duck Walk Killer,” but police were never able to locate the suspect.
Now, the suspect’s walk apparently could be the linking factor between the killings, according to reporting done by KCRA.
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Police in California say that ballistics evidence has linked at least six slayings there, as well as an injury to a seventh person who survived the attack.
At least four of the victims were unhoused, according to police. Stockton police have widened patrols and are urging unhoused individuals to seek shelter at night as they investigate the killings.
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According to KCRA, a $125,000 reward has been offered for information in connection with the murders.