On September 4, 2016 at about 5:15 p.m., Bakersfield police went to Memorial Hospital after reports of a victim of a shooting.
They arrived and learned there was not one, but two victims of a shooting. They discovered the shooting occurred on La Colina Drive. La Colina Drive is in the Kern County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction, so deputies were called to the hospital and assumed the investigation.
Deputies learned the victims, all of whom were from Shafter, had been driving their silver Toyota Camry south on River Boulevard from Panorama Drive. The suspect vehicle began to drive recklessly behind them and followed them west onto Columbus Street.
For unknown reasons, the suspect vehicle followed them onto Alturas Drive and pulled alongside them on La Colina Drive. There, the suspect fired multiple rounds into the victims' vehicle striking two of the occupants. The suspect vehicle fled in an unknown direction.
The victims drove to Memorial Hospital where one, an 18-year-old male, was treated for his injuries and released. The other, a 15-year-old male, was transported by ambulance to Kern Medical where he remains in critical condition.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's assistance in helping to identify the suspect vehicle involved in this shooting. Detectives are asking residents and businesses in the area between Panorama Drive, River Boulevard, Columbus Street and Union Avenue to review their video surveillance from Sunday, September 4 between 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., looking for a sedan following and perhaps chasing the victims' vehicle, an older silver Toyota Camry four door.
Anyone with additional information about this shooting is asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff's Office at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness at 661-322-4040.
