BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — An 83-year-old Bakersfield man is facing murder charges after police say he shot and killed his 85-year-old wife in their front yard Thursday morning following a domestic violence incident.
Bakersfield police responded to a call of domestic violence in a southwest neighborhood on Tulane Park Place Thursday morning. When officers arrived, they found Emma Wildrick, 85, shot dead in the front yard. Her husband, 83-year-old Michael Wildrick, was taken into custody.
Neighbor Herb Smith said he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting.
"I came out of my bedroom door and came around to the gate and saw my neighbor Emma lying in the ground, and I later discovered that she had been shot," Smith said.
Smith, who moved to the neighborhood a little more than two years ago, described Wildrick as a pleasant woman.
"Very pleasant woman, about 5'3–5'4, very nice woman, very loving, very giving woman," Smith said.
Surveillance footage captures shooting
Smith said he was lying in bed Thursday morning when he heard a gate open and later received a text from another neighbor asking if he had heard gunshots.
Smith showed surveillance footage to reporters but asked that it not be aired. In the video, Emma Wildrick is seen coming out to her front yard while on the phone. According to Smith, she was talking with her son when her husband approached her with a gun and shot her multiple times, including while she was on the ground.
Smith said Michael Wildrick has dementia and had previously threatened his wife with a gun.
"We knew issues were going on in the house and he seemed to have many firearms and I think they had taken the firearms from him. That was my understanding, but evidently not," Smith said.
Police had previously seized firearms
In a statement, Bakersfield Police said they had previously seized registered firearms from the suspect's home.
"Family members accounted for the other firearms that were known. The additional firearm used yesterday was registered to the suspect but was not previously known to be in his possession by family or BPD," police said.
Lauren Skidmore, CEO of Open Door Network, said domestic violence affects all demographics and ages.
"Domestic violence will hit any demographic and any age but this 50 year relationship to end in such severity is uncommon," Skidmore said.
Skidmore encourages anyone suffering from domestic violence to call 911 or contact their 24-hour confidential hotline.
Police say Michael Wildrick will be booked on murder charges once he is medically cleared.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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