A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed Friday night at Independence High School in southwest Bakersfield during the school’s first football game of the season.
Bakersfield police responded to reports of shots fired at the school, at 8001 Old River Road, shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21. Officers found the teenager with gunshot wounds south of the football field, inside the stadium gates. He was taken to Kern Medical, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have not released his name.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111.
Police said the shooting appears to be isolated and began as an altercation between a group of individuals. They said there is limited suspect information, no suspect is in custody, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. Police also said they have not been able to verify or validate videos of the incident circulating on social media.
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Bakersfield Police Sgt. Eric Celedon said Bakersfield and Kern High School District police would process the scene to “make sure whoever committed this homicide is brought to justice”.
The game, Independence’s season opener against Centennial High School, was cancelled. It was the first football game night of the season for Kern County high schools.
In a joint alert Friday night, the Kern High School District and Independence High School said an incident at the game “resulted in an injury,” that the game was cancelled, and that KHSD Police and Bakersfield police responded and are actively investigating. The district said the safety of students, staff, families and the community is its priority, offered condolences, and said more information would follow.
As of Saturday afternoon, police had not released an update beyond Friday night’s statements. The district has not yet announced counseling or support services for students. It is not yet known whether the shooting will affect the remainder of Independence’s football schedule.
UPDATE: Bakersfield police arrested the 15-year-old Saturday morning, Aug. 22, in the 7500 block of Stockdale Highway near Coffee Road. He was booked on charges of murder and participation in a criminal street gang. Those are allegations filed by police; they have not been tested or proven in court. The Bakersfield News Observer does not name minors accused of crimes.
Police said the victim and the suspect knew each other and that the shooting “was not a random act of violence”. Police said earlier that the incident began as an altercation among a group of individuals. No other arrests have been made and no other suspects have been identified; the investigation is ongoing.
The gang-participation charge, brought under California Penal Code 186.22, is a substantive charge distinct from the state’s gang sentencing enhancement under the same statute. Research by the California Policy Lab has found that gang enhancements under the law fall overwhelmingly on young Black and Hispanic men, criticism that led the Legislature to narrow the statute in 2021 through AB 333. Whether the charge against the 15-year-old will hold, and whether the case will be filed in juvenile or adult court, has not been announced.
It remains unconfirmed whether Brown or the 15-year-old attended Independence, Centennial, or another school; reports have conflicted, and neither police nor the Kern High School District has said.
In a statement, Bakersfield police extended sympathy to both families, noting that two young lives and two families were changed by the violence. Mayor Karen Goh issued a statement of grief and support, and Kern High School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Zulfa released a statement following the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111.
Drafted by News Observed Editorial AI, human reviewed and published.