On the night of May 11, 2016, 31-year-old Benjamin Mendoza was tragically killed in Southeast Bakersfield, California. Mendoza was walking in a South Bakersfield neighborhood, returning home from a relative's house, when he was approached by a vehicle at the intersection of Del Mar Drive and Madison Street. The vehicle made a U-turn and stopped, at which point Jeffrey Tapia, an active participant of the Eastside Bakers criminal street gang, exited the vehicle and fired seven shots at Mendoza.
Mendoza sustained three gunshot wounds to the back and succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to Kern Medical.
The investigation into Mendoza's death led to the arrest of three individuals: Jeffrey Tapia, Daniel Marquez, and Ricky Cortez. Tapia was quickly apprehended by deputies from the Kern County Sheriff's Office, who found him inside the vehicle used during the murder. A loaded handgun with ammunition matching the weapon used in the shooting was discovered in the vehicle, and additional matching ammunition was found in Tapia's possession. Tapia was later convicted of second-degree murder with a gang affiliation sentencing enhancement and possession of a firearm by a felon. In November 2019, he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison.
Daniel Marquez and Ricky Cortez, the co-defendants in the case, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and were each sentenced to 19 years in prison in September 2019. The case highlighted the ongoing issues of gang violence in Bakersfield and the efforts of law enforcement to address such crimes. The tragic death of Benjamin Mendoza serves as a somber reminder of the impact of gang-related violence on individuals and communities.
