Sister of Oakland homicide victim tied to Stockton serial killings speaks out

OAKLAND, Calif. - Juan Miguel Vazquez Serrano, shot and killed in East Oakland last year, is the first known victim of an apparent serial killer who's on the loose after fatally shooting five other people in Stockton in recent months. 

"Whoever did it doesn't know how painful this is and how painful this is for my mom," Serrano's sister, Maria Vazquez said in Spanish as her boss translated. 

She said she's sad and scared.

"She's very afraid of someone just killing random people out there," the translator said. 

Stockton police say a suspected serial killer is linked by ballistics to Vazquez's shooting death near 57th and Harmon in East Oakland on April 10, 2021. 

A person of interest is seen on surveillance footage in the Stockton cases. Stockton police say someone shot and killed five other victims in their city from July to September of this year. All the victims were ambushed while alone in the dark. 

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Vazquez leaves behind three daughters, now 17, 10 and 16.

He and his siblings grew up in San Antonio Matute, a small town in Jalisco, Mexico.

In recent years, he had fallen on hard times. He had separated from his partner. Neighbors say he earned money by working on cars in the neighborhood,

He lived on the streets, as did some other victims in Stockton.

"He was very kind and he would help others," his sister said.

Vazquez says no family members have ever spent time in Stockton, nor do they recognize the man seen in the video. She says she had one question for the elusive killer:

"Why are you doing this to innocent people?"

But she's hopeful that with all the news coverage, the killer will be arrested

"She knows that it's coming. Justice is coming," the translator said.

Serrano's killing is under investigation by Oakland police, who are working in conjunction with their counterparts in Stockton.