Body cam shows 8 Bakersfield officers shoot and kill man
By: The Bakersfield Police Department released a video Thursday documenting a shooting in which eight police officers fired their weapons at a man who ultimately died.
It wasn’t clear if the victim ever fired a bullet from a gun when officers first confronted him in the 500 block of Madison Street, according to the BPD’s video. The suspect escaped and was armed with a knife when he died on Daniels Lane, the BPD said. The California Department of Justice is investigating this incident as required by law.
“An unfired bullet had a possible firing pin strike on the primer,” the video said. “It is unknown when that firing pin strike took place.”
It started at 9:41 a.m. Dec. 20 when officers were called to the 500 block of Madison Street because of a disturbance of a man carrying a firearm near railroad tracks in a field.
Police in the area for an unrelated assignment arrived at the scene and one officer yelled out “he’s got a gun,” according to the video. Gunfire erupted, but it’s unclear in the video who fired first — the officers or the man.
Multiple officers fired at the man while asking him to put up his hands, according to the video.
An officer ran toward where the man was standing, but he was already gone. Chasing the suspect on the ground begins, and no shots were fired during this time, the video said.
Body-worn camera footage then is played of officers finding the man again on Daniels Lane and Union Avenue. Police officers fire bullets, but it’s unclear whether the man returned gunfire or who fired first.
One officer called for medical aid while multiple officers began running toward the man.
“Get on the ground, get on the (expletive) ground,” an officer yelled.
The video then cuts to footage of different officers who arrived from the opposite direction.
This video showed the man “repeatedly pointing an object” at the officer, according to the BPD.
Two officers repeatedly commanded the man to drop the gun as they fired bullets. It’s unclear if the man was firing bullets back, the video shows.
“I got a shot,” an officer yelled. “Tell them to watch their crossfire.”
The man, whose identity hasn’t been released, died at the scene. Six of the eight officers who shot bullets turned on their body-worn cameras, the video said.