Suspects arrested in fatal shooting wore same clothes seen on surveillance video: police

William Darden, left, and Dalton Thompson appeared in court charged with murder and robbery.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Three men accused of a fatal shooting last month on Union Avenue were arrested days later wearing the same clothing seen in surveillance video, police said.

Dalton Ray Thompson, 25, William Wendell Darden, 23, and Joey Elias, 22, have pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and robbery. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week.

The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. May 20 in the 100 block of Union Avenue, police said. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter activation found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police reviewed surveillance video showing the suspects before and after the shooting, according to court documents filed by investigators. Two 9mm shell casings were found.

On May 28, police saw the three suspects walking in the 100 block of Eye Street.

“All three suspects were wearing the same identifiable clothing observed in the surveillance videos,” an officer wrote in the documents.

They were remanded in custody. Thompson and Elias were arrested without incident, Darden after running to his home, documents state.