Twenty-two-year old Douglas Dobarro woke up Friday morning to his entire world changing.
“I had just woken up and the first thing I hear is [that] my father’s dead and my mother’s crying her eyes out,” Douglas Dobarro said. “It was such a gut-wrenching cry. I’ve heard my mother cry a variety of times, but it’s a cry I’ll never forget. It haunts me, and It’ll haunt me the rest of my life.”
Douglas’ father, Eugene “Michael Dobarro,” the night manager at Grassotti Townhomes, sacrificed his life to prevent murder suspect of a double homicide, Bryson Blair, from shooting a woman on that property, according to Douglas. Blair broke into her townhome Friday morning and began attacking her, according to Douglas.
“He (Blair) was chasing and beating her, and threw her across the front yard. After hearing the glass break, it woke my father, he was upstairs and my mother, [He] went to see the commotion,” Douglas said. “When my father opened the door, he watched the young lady get thrown across the yard.”
Michael opened the door to his house and shielded the female victim in his doorway, according to Douglas. Blair shot Michael multiple times and proceeded to shoot and kill the woman in Michael's kitchen, according to Douglas.
Michael was a loving husband to Douglas’ mother for 24 years and leaves behind four children, according to Douglas.
“I lost my father and a wonderful neighbor,” Douglas said. “I now have to go on the rest of my life without a father, and my mother who’s traumatized because she watched her husband get shot dead in front of her, protecting a young lady who was being assaulted.”
Blair has since been arrested in Los Angeles, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.
This isn't the first time Blair has had a run in with the law. A court document from 2014 (see video) shows that Blair has had a history of pleading no contest to spousal abuse, for which he was sentenced to six months in jail, but served three months of.
According to Douglas, the family of the woman killed told him she was Blair's wife. They told him she was attempting to divorce and get a restraining order against Blair, according to Douglas.
“With them there’s personal ties, so I can only imagine how much harder it is for them on top of it. I hope they stay strong,” Douglas said. “My prayers go out to them.”
The Dobarro family is still working out funeral arrangements at this time. We will provide more information as soon as it comes into our newsroom.
