Full Notification

April 10, Eastbound Highway 58, Bakersfield, CA - Critical Incident Release

On April 10, 2026, at about 5:30 p.m. Kern County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the 500 block of South Pepper Drive for a report of a shooting. Deputies arrived and the suspect fled.
Deputies pursued the suspect for several minutes and ultimately terminated the pursuit due to unsafe driving conditions.

Deputies learned that the suspect vehicle was involved in a traffic collision on east bound Highway 58 east of Weedpatch Highway at approximately 6:00 p.m. At the same time, a victim of a gunshot wound was privately transported to the hospital, and it was determined that it was in connection with the initial reported shooting. Deputies arrived at the scene of the collision and attempted contact with the suspect. During the contact an officer involved shooting occurred.
The suspect was declared deceased on the scene.

No deputies were injured in the officer involved shooting.

KCSO Homicide Detectives responded to the scene to assume the investigation.

As part of a Gang Task Force, an HSI agent was riding with a deputy at the time of the officer involved shooting.

Kern County Sheriff's Office detectives investigate any use of deadly force by any member of the department. Investigations are submitted to the Kern County District Attorney's Office for criminal review. The FBI conducted a separate and independent investigation into the use of force by the HSI agent.

Deputy Javarest Dillard and Senior Deputy Issac Azua were placed on routing critical incident leave pending the completion of the investigation.

PC 834a: If ana person has knowledge, or by the exercise of reasonable care, should have knowledge, that they are being arrested by a peace officer, it is their duty to refrain from using force or any weapon to resist such arrest. 

PC 835a states in part: A peace officer is justified in using deadly force upon another person only when the officer reasonable believes, based on the totality of the circumstances, that such force is necessary to defend against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. The decision to use force shall be evaluated from the perspective of a reasonable officer in the same situation, based on the totality of the circumstances known to or perceived by the officer at the time, rather than with the benefit of hindsight, and that the totality of the circumstances shall account for occasions when officers may be forced to make quick judgments about using force.  

On May 13, 2026, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office convened an Incident Review Board examining the use of force by KCSO deputies in this incident.

The use of force in this incident was determined to be within policy.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661)861-3110 or Kern Secret Witness at (661)322-4040.

Video link: https://youtu.be/vr8RXElsRRM