On November 29, 2023, at about 9:16 p.m., deputies responded to a reported shooting in the 1200 block of Iris Street in Wasco, California. Officers found 34-year-old Michael Prendez Gonzalez of Bakersfield with multiple gunshot wounds; he was taken to Kern Medical and died of complications from those wounds on December 2, 2023. The Kern County Coroner ruled the manner of death a homicide.

Authorities have not released information about arrests or identified suspects, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office describes the investigation as active. Gonzalez is survived by his partner, Jillian Williams; his daughter, Mikayla Gonzalez; his parents, Santos Gonzalez and Michelle Prendez; and several siblings, nieces, and nephews. A funeral service was held December 29, 2023, at Assembly of God - Canyon Hills in Wasco, with burial at Wasco Cemetery.

This killing is listed among several recent fatal shootings in Wasco and has prompted local memorials and tributes. Anyone with information about the November 29 shooting is asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.