Man testifies he was injured in east Bakersfield shooting

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Shortly after Miguel Gomez stopped at an east Bakersfield home to pick up his grandson, three men jumped out of a white car and opened fire.

Bullets struck his pickup, one bullet hit him in the side, Gomez said Friday. Her grandson, who had not yet gotten into the truck, turned and ran towards the garden, but was also hit.

A photo taken of her grandson, who appeared to be a teenager or young adult, showed his face covered in blood. He survived.

Asked in court how many shots were fired, Gomez could not give an exact answer.

“There was a lot of shooting,” he said.

His testimony came Friday afternoon during the preliminary hearing for three men — Eric Faria, Francisco Garcia and Ulyses Zelayandia — charged in the shooting.

The three are among five accused in two shootings whose cases have been combined. The other defendants, Uriel Ramirez and Ulices Alonso, are scheduled for a preliminary hearing later this month.

The first shooting occurred on the night of September 29, 2021, at the Mesa Marin Sports Complex near Highway 178. Mario Bravo Jr., 41, was shot in the parking lot and pronounced dead at the scene.

The other incident – ​​the one Gomez testified about – occurred on December 24, 2021, in the 1800 block of Kentucky Street.

Gomez said two of the gunmen wore masks, one did not. He identified Francisco Garcia – naming him in court – as the unmasked shooter.

Following Gomez's testimony, Chief Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Sanchez said he interviewed the grandson in the emergency room. The grandson also identified Garcia as one of the shooters, Sanchez said.

He said the grandson admitted to being a gang member and that Garcia was in a rival gang.

The grandson said the problems between him and Garcia started over group rap videos and that Garcia had sent threatening messages, the deputy said.

This article will be updated.