STOCKTON, Calif. — A man was shot and killed near N. El Dorado Street and West Lane in Stockton on Wednesday. It was the fourth murder in less than a week.
It happened just after 5:30 PM yesterday after officers responded to a report of a shooting. The victim identified as 34-year-old Ronald Celestine died after he was transported to a hospital. Police say there is no motive or releasable suspect information.
The murder is the 14th of 2019, compared to nine at this time last year. The violent crime spike has Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones reaching out for assistance from partnering agencies, like the ATF, FBI, CHP and more, in order to curb the uptick.
"We need more tips. We know there are individuals in the community out there that know a lot about these cases or at least something," said Jones.
Of the 14 murders, only four arrests have been made.
The following are the names of those who have died to violence in Stockton this year:
- Frank Baker Jr., 67, assaulted and killed on Jan. 24th in the 300 blk of E. Washington Street. Arrest made.
- Traves Her, 19, shot and killed on February 3 in the 2300 block of Sandalwood Drive. No arrest made.
- Advan Vang, 15, shot and killed on Feb. 24 in the 7000 blk of Montauban Ave. Arrest made.
- Nicholas Sihalath, 14, shot and killed on Feb. 24 in the 7000 blk of Montauban Ave. Arrest made.
- David Connary, 19, Tiffany Connary, 18, and Remillio Castillo, 18 were all shot and killed on February 23 in the 2300 blk of Finland Avenue. No arrest made.
- Arnold Jimenez-Silva, 23, shot and killed on March 23 in the 600 blk of W. MLK Blvd. No arrest made.
- Ashlie Villegas, 31, shot and killed on March 24 in the 3000 blk of Volney Street. No arrest made.
- Christopher Perkins Jr., 27, shot and killed on April 10 near Albany and Astor Drives. No arrest made.
- Larry Ganner, 66, assaulted and killed on April 26 in the 2300 blk of E. Washington Street. Arrest made.
- Alan Cazares, 23, was shot and killed on April 26 in the 400 block of Delhi. No arrest made.
- Mark Echeverria, 28, shot and killed on April 28 near El Dorado Street and Hazelton Avenue. No arrest made.
The three homicides this past weekend, from April 26 to April 28, prompted Jones to reach out to partner agencies.
"It's not just the black and white police car which certainly can help in many of the circumstances. It's a lot of the detectives' work. It's a lot of the crime analysts working together," said Jones.
If you have a tip to help solve one of these crimes, call Stockton Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600. Or message a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) Text: TIPSPD plus your message. You can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward for your tip.
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(Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misstated the date of Frank Baker's killing.)