Javier Casarez

Mass Murderer

Javier Casarez and the 2018 Bakersfield Shooting Spree

Overview

On September 12, 2018, Javier Casarez carried out a rapid series of targeted shootings in and around Bakersfield, California. During a rampage that unfolded across several locations in Kern County, Casarez fatally shot five people before taking his own life as law-enforcement officers closed in. Six people, including Casarez, were dead by the end of the violence. The shootings began at a trucking business outside Bakersfield and continued at a nearby sporting-goods store and a private residence. Investigators determined that the victims were not selected at random. Casarez knew each of the people he killed, and authorities examined marital conflict and ongoing personal disputes as possible factors behind the attack.

The First Shooting at the Trucking Business

The violence began shortly after 5:00 p.m. at a trucking company on Manwell Boulevard near Highway 58, east of Bakersfield. Casarez arrived at the business with his wife and confronted another man. Witnesses described an argument before Casarez pulled out a handgun and opened fire. Casarez shot the man during the confrontation. His wife attempted to flee from the property, but Casarez turned the gun on her and fatally shot her as well. A third man who was present managed to escape and ran toward a neighboring business.

Pursuit to the Sporting-Goods Store

Casarez followed the fleeing man to Bear Mountain Sports, a nearby sporting-goods business. The victim entered the building in an apparent attempt to escape or seek protection. Casarez pursued him inside and shot him to death. The attack had now crossed two separate properties within only a few minutes. Employees and witnesses called emergency services as reports of multiple shootings began reaching the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were dispatched to what was initially believed to be a single shooting but quickly learned that the gunman was moving between locations. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Petra Maribel Bolanos de Casarez 45 yr old Female

Gunman in California kills wife and four others then himself