STOCKTON, Calif. — The leaves were still falling in a South Stockton neighborhood Sunday and alongside them: white cards left behind by police detectives the night before — scars of violence.
"Typically, we'll provide information on that small card," said Stockton Police Public Information Officer Omer Edhah, "whether it’s the detective working that specific case or the general number for investigations."
Plenty of the small cards were handed out Saturday night.
"Around 6:30 p.m., our officers responded to the area of MLK and Aurora Street on report of a person shot," Edhah said. "Our detectives are working to figure out what led up to that shooting."
The 46-year-old man died from his injuries at a hospital, police said. Tragically, the violence didn't stop there.
"Unfortunately, about two hours later, around 8:30 or 8:45 p.m., our officers responded to an area hospital where a victim was transported with a gunshot wound," Edhah said.
Police believe the 22-year-old woman was shot in the 1700 block of Fremont Street. She, too, died from her injuries.
"It's unfortunate... two homicides in one day," Edhah said. "But rest assured, our detectives were out there and hit the ground running."
Police don't believe they are related or random, but neither suspect information nor a motive is known in either of the cases. Anyone with information is being asked to call investigators or Stockton CrimeStoppers which offers anonymity and a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Officials are hoping a recent grant approval will lead to more answers in cases like the ones Saturday night.
In July of 2023, Congressman Josh Harder cleared the way for the Stockton Police Department to apply for a $963,000 Department of Justice grant aimed at strengthening public safety.
The funding would be used to add license plate reading cameras at all of the city’s entry and exit points, commerce areas and high-traffic intersections. It would also pay for night vision goggles for the department’s SWAT team.
The city’s application was approved just weeks ago and now faces one last hurdle: acceptance by the Stockton City Council during its next meeting on Tuesday.
With some council members having called for more cameras in the past, approval of the grant is all but guaranteed.
"We're always at the forefront of finding ways to mitigate crime and stop crime from happening in the first place," Edhah said. "We try to be more proactive than reactive."
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