Eliseo Garcia Cazares, a 57-year-old male of presumably Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, was fatally shot on September 12, 2018, in Bakersfield, California, during a violent, multi-location shooting spree that claimed six lives, including the perpetrator. At the time of his death, male Eliseo Garcia Cazares lived in Bakersfield and was known as a friend of the shooter; he was identified among the victims at the final shooting location.
His daughter, 31-year-old Laura Garcia, was also killed in the same incident. The act was part of a rampage that lasted around 37 minutes, spanning multiple shootings across southeast Bakersfield.
The suspected shooter was identified as 54-year-old male Javier Casarez. Court records show he had recently divorced his wife, 45-year-old Petra Maribel Bolanos de Casarez, with the divorce finalized in April 2018. A late-filed request by her to modify custody and child support had a hearing scheduled for October. Domestic turmoil and court-related dispute appear to have played a significant role in prompting the rampage. The violence began when Casarez forced his ex-wife to accompany him to the T&T Trucking Company. There, he shot and killed 50-year-old male Emanuel Contreras. He then shot his ex-wife, 45-year-old female Petra Maribel Bolanos de Casarez. Casarez proceeded to chase and fatally shoot 50-year-old male Antonio Valadez.
Next, Casarez drove to a residence on Breckenridge Road, where Eliseo Garcia Cazares, a 57-year-old male, lived with his family and was recognized as a friend of the shooter. At that location, 57-year-old male Eliseo Garcia Cazares was shot and killed, alongside his daughter, 31-year-old female Laura Garcia. Authorities believe Laura Garcia may have intervened to protect her father, becoming collateral damage in the process.
Following the shootings, Casarez carjacked a vehicle occupied by a woman and her child, but allowed them to escape unharmed after telling the woman he “wasn't a bad guy.” He fled the scene and was later located by a sheriff's deputy near Edison Highway. When confronted and ordered to drop his weapon, Casarez turned the. 50-caliber handgun on himself and fatally shot himself, dying at the scene shortly thereafter. No arrests were made, as the perpetrator died by suicide. There were no additional suspects identified beyond Javier Casarez.
