Kern County Sheriff's Office issued the following announcement on Oct. 31.
On October 28, 2020, at about 2:47 pm, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a victim of a shooting in the 900 block of Water Street in Bakersfield. It was also reported that the suspect was armed with a rifle and fled on foot in an easterly direction. At about 3:00 pm, a deputy arrived on scene and contacted the suspect in the 3100 block of Dartmouth St.
The suspect walked away from the deputy, refusing verbal commands. As the deputy followed, the suspect brandished a firearm and fired at the deputy. An officer-involved shooting occurred.The suspect continued to flee, running westbound to Nelson St where he began shooting at the Sheriff’s helicopter whose pilots were coordinating ground personnel.
A perimeter was established around the neighborhood while deputies and allied agencies attempted to relocate the suspect and evacuate residents. The suspect was located holding a semi-automatic weapon in the backyard of a residence in the 3000 block of Dartmouth St. A second officer-involved shooting occurred, resulting in the suspect being shot. The suspect was transported to a local area hospital for treatment.
No deputies were injured. The original victim in the 900 block of Water St. was in stable condition following this incident.
Homicide Detectives responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Detectives were able to identify the suspect as Justin Esqueda (DOB 7/28/1990) while he was being treated at the hospital. Esqueda has been absentee booked on six counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, one count of felon in possession of ammunition, and one count of possession of a short-barreled rifle pending court proceedings.
Three deputies were involved in the officer-involved shootings. They have all been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Anyone with information about this event is encouraged to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661)861-3110.
Original source can be found here.
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