Six people were killed Wednesday evening after a series of shootings that began at a California trucking company.
The incident happened in Bakersfield, California at around 5:20 p.m. on September 12th.
According to Bakersfield Now News, the incident began when the suspect and his wife entered a still-unnamed trucking company on Manwell Boulevard, near Highway 58 and Weedpatch Highway and confronted a man inside. The suspect then fatally shot the man he was confronting and turned the gun on his wife, shooting her before chasing after another man who had entered the scene during the initial confrontation.
#BREAKING: Multiple people shot near Bakersfield business. https://t.co/Fdv4eov2FQ pic.twitter.com/oVcxOB7Z83
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) September 13, 2018
The suspect chased the man around the front of the Bear Mountain Sports building where he shot and killed him before fleeing the scene in a car. The suspect then drove to a home on Breckenridge Road where he confronted another two people before shooting and killing them.
The suspect then moved on to Fillmore Avenue where he stole a car with a woman and child still inside. The woman and child were eventually able to escape unharmed and the suspect drove the car to Edison Highway, where he spotted a police officer and pulled into a parking lot. As the officer approached the suspect wielding a weapon, the suspect pointed his own gun at his chest and pulled the trigger, killing himself. That portion of the shooting spree was captured on the officer’s body camera.
Judy and I are shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific loss of life in Bakersfield yesterday. Our entire community, with one heavy heart, is praying for the victims and their families.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) September 13, 2018
The identities of all the people involved have not yet been released pending notification of next of kin, but a total of six people died in the incident – five civilians and the one suspect.
“I’m pretty comfortable there will be a connection between all of these players,” said Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood.
“Six people lost their lives in a very short period of time…. About 10 or 15 minutes… This is highly unusual.”
The incident is still under investigation and police say they have at least 30 witnesses to interview. As of Thursday morning, the shooter’s motivations are still not clear.
“This is the new normal, if you look across the country, these types of shootings.”