BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A 23-year-old man is dead after being shot by Bakersfield Police Department officers Wednesday, Oct. 14, near the 1000 block of Pacheco Road in southeast Bakersfield. A family of four who lives nearby witnessed the events unfold from inside their home.
According to the Kern County Coroner's Office, Daniel James Ruiz was shot and killed near the home by the Bakersfield Police Department. BPD says a gun was found at the scene.
Bakersfield police say officers attempted to contact two men Wednesday, Oct. 14, near the intersection of Monitor Street and Pacheco Road. The two men fled, leading to the officer-involved shooting of Ruiz. Medical aid was provided, but Ruiz ultimately died at the scene.
The family of four, speaking with me off camera, said they were at home a little after 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, when they heard tires screech and saw flashing lights outside.
"Everything happened really fast, so it was like lights, like a screech, and then lights, and then boom, boom, boom, and then it was chaos," Patricia Killian said.
Shortly after, gunshots pierced the walls of the family's home.
"I heard, like, a couple gunshots and then more gunshots. So, I got down and then came out of my room and saw my mom go into that room. So, I followed her while I was, like crawling on the ground, and it was just like a scary experience," Ethan Munoz said.
The second man involved in the initial encounter with officers remains at large. Police say he was last seen wearing black pants and a black hoodie. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the whereabouts of the at-large suspect is asked to contact police.
Though nervous, the family said they are thankful no one else was hurt.
"More like relief, cause you know we're all, you know, like alive, and then just like kind of surreal, cause, and yeah, wasn't expecting that. I was just ready to go to sleep," Eliseo Snay said.
"Nervous, but also, you know, glad that we're all okay. But at the moment, it's like you're — you're scared and your adrenaline is going, so you're not really thinking too much about it until everything's done," Killian said.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave per department policy. The shooting remains under investigation.
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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