LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff's Office has released new bodycam footage of a deadly deputy-involved shooting that occurred January 11 on Highway 178 in Lake Isabella.
The shooting happened after authorities were called to the area following reports of a man shooting a gun. That man has been identified as 39-year-old Fernando Padilla.
The video shows deputies attempting to de-escalate the situation before using non-lethal force. After deputies continued commanding Padilla to drop his gun and get on the ground, they warned him they would use force.
Padilla was pronounced dead on the scene.
Deputies Tyler Lathouwers and Caleb Smith were placed on routine administrative leave during the investigation. The use of force was determined to be within policy.
The incident began around 9:40 p.m. on January 10 when deputies responded to a domestic violence call in the 1700 block of Kilbreth Avenue. During that investigation, Padilla refused to communicate with deputies, and the victim was transported to a safe location. Deputies learned Padilla was armed and possibly suicidal but had not threatened anyone with the firearm. Deputies chose to disengage as a de-escalation strategy due to the suspect's mental state and the misdemeanor nature of the initial crime.
About three hours later, at approximately 12:40 a.m., multiple 911 calls reported shots fired near the 5300 block of Lake Isabella Boulevard. Deputies determined Padilla was unlawfully discharging a firearm in a populated area, showing "wanton disregard for human life."
Deputies first contacted Padilla at 12:50 a.m., but he ignored commands and fled on foot. The pursuit lasted more than 20 minutes, during which deputies employed multiple de-escalation strategies including activating overhead lights, using loudspeakers to identify themselves, and requesting additional resources such as the Crisis Negotiation Team, Air Support, Drone Team, K-9 unit and allied agencies.
Deputies followed Padilla for more than a mile, giving multiple verbal commands and opportunities to comply. As Padilla began walking westbound in the eastbound lanes of Highway 178, deputies warned him that force would be used.
Deputies first struck Padilla with a less-lethal 40mm round designed to deter or safely subdue suspects. Padilla responded by firing two rounds into the air. When deputies struck him with a second less-lethal round, Padilla turned to face deputies with the firearm in his hands, prompting the fatal shooting.
On February 4, the Kern County Sheriff's Office convened an Incident Review Board to examine the use of force. The board determined the use of force was within policy.
Anyone with additional information regarding this case is asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff's Office at (661) 861-3110 or Kern Secret Witness at (661) 322-4040.
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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