On the evening of November 13, 2014, 22-year-old Ramiro James "Gordo" Villegas, a resident of Bakersfield, California, was fatally shot by officers from the Bakersfield Police Department. The incident began when officers attempted to stop Villegas's vehicle for erratic driving. Instead of yielding, Villegas led the police on a high-speed chase along Highway 178, which concluded when he crashed into a signal light pole at the Mount Vernon Avenue off-ramp.
Upon exiting his vehicle, Villegas reportedly approached the officers and reached toward his waistband, prompting them to open fire, resulting in his death. Subsequent investigations revealed that Villegas was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
In the aftermath of the incident, a controversy arose involving Senior Officer Aaron Stringer of the Bakersfield Police Department. According to reports, Officer Stringer visited Villegas's body at Kern Medical Center, where he allegedly touched the deceased's feet, saying "tickle tickle," and remarked that he "loves playing with dead bodies." A police trainee who witnessed this behavior reported it to her superiors, leading to an internal affairs investigation. Officer Stringer was subsequently placed on paid administrative leave and, by 2015, was no longer employed with the department.
In response to these events, Villegas's parents, Leticia DeLaRosa and Ramiro Villegas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Bakersfield and five police officers. The lawsuit alleged that the officers used excessive force, resulting in their son's death, and that Officer Stringer's actions constituted desecration of Villegas's body. The family sought punitive damages for civil rights violations, wrongful death, and tortious interference with their son's body.
The death of Ramiro James Villegas and the subsequent actions of law enforcement officers sparked significant public outcry and discussions about police conduct in Bakersfield. The incident was later featured in the Hulu docuseries "Killing County," which examined police violence in Kern County, bringing national attention to the case and contributing to ongoing debates about law enforcement practices in the community.
