Three minors have been charged in the fatal shooting of a 53-year-old man last month in east Bakersfield, according to authorities. The man’s father was also injured in the gunfire.
On July 18 around 7:25 p.m., Kern County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting in the 800 block of Crane Street, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. Deputies found two people suffering from gunshot wounds; one died at the scene, and the other was hospitalized for treatment.
A 16-year-old was detained in a nearby neighborhood and arrested in connection with an unrelated investigation, authorities said. He was later charged in the Bakersfield shooting.
Detectives identified two other juveniles,12- and 13-year-old boys, as suspects in the shooting, according to the release. The two were arrested on July 29 and Aug. 2. All three were charged with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and participation in a criminal street gang.
The 12-year-old faces additional charges of two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and possession of a handgun by a minor, according to the Kern County district attorney’s office.
The 13-year-old also was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm and participating in a criminal street gang.
The 16-year-old faces additional charges of assault with a firearm, possession of a handgun by a minor and carrying a loaded firearm on one’s person/vehicle, according to the D.A.
The 16-year-old could be tried as an adult, and authorities are waiting for prosecutors to file the motion in court, the district attorney’s office said.
The victim was identified as Eric Lancaster by his father, Vernon “Wes” Lancaster, who was also shot but survived, according to ABC23.
Authorities didn’t respond to The Times’ request for comment or to identify the victim.
“I didn’t see my shooter shoot me, but I seen my shooter shoot my son. And it’s the most ugliest thing that won’t — it won’t go away in my mind,” Wes Lancaster told the news outlet.
Wes said that Eric was confronted near the mailbox in front of the house on Crane Street. He said that Eric had no known connection to the suspects.
“When my son fell,” Wes Lancaster said, “I reached over as hard as I could to hold his hand and tell him to stay with us, stay with us — and it was too late. It was too late already.”
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