A man was apprehended after opening fire on the streets of Los Angeles for five days straight. The police are calling him a serial killer after shooting and killing 7 people.
Kirk Albanese, Deputy Chief, revealed at a news conference on Tuesday night, that the man had shot and killed three people and two dogs and four more people were injured and are in the hospital in critical condition. Alexander Hernandez, the 34-year-old gunman, is now in police custody.
The prosecutors have charged the man with one count of capital murder, three counts of animal cruelty and two counts of attempted murder. He will be arraigned on Wednesday.
Bill McSweeney, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s chief of detectives, declared that this man is and was a serial killer.
A chronological outline of the shootings was given by the police of the shooting they believe the man is responsible for. There is no apparent link between the victims and there are no apparent motives.
- August 20, 6 a.m. – a woman was shot, but not killed, as she existed a freeway, in northeast LA by a man inside an SUV
- August 21, 5 a.m. – Gildaro Morales, a 48-year-old man was shot and killed by a man inside an SUV. This is the only death with which Alexander Hernandez has been charged until now.
- August 22, 11 p.m. – A couple inside a pickup truck was fired at in West Hollywood, but they weren’t injured.
- August 23, 11:30 a.m. – A man shot three dogs and injured two of them in Pacoima.
- August 24, 5:50 a.m. – A man inside an SUV opened fire on a family, killing a woman who was 23 years old. Less than an hour later, he opened fire and killed a 29-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman. Hernandez was arrested by SWAT officers that day.
The moment of his arrest, Hernandez has a pistol-grip shotgun that police officers believe was used in all the attacks. A ballistic report will confirm this soon, as the man has not been cooperative with the police officers. Prosecutors do not know yet if the man has retained an attorney, but they do believe that he worked alone and is the only suspect in the shootings.
Prosecutors are planning to ask for the death penalty and that he be held in custody without the possibility of bail.
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