A police officer from Bakersfield shot and killed a senior citizen without provocation.
A senior resident of Bakersfield was killed on Monday evening after a police officer opened fire without any warning. Investigations revealed that the suspect killed by the police officer was unarmed and was suffering from first-stage dementia.
Bakersfield’s Police Department has started an official investigation regarding the death of a senior citizen on Monday evening. The officers involved in this case believe that the police officer who shot and killed the senior citizen might have abused his position.
Gary Carruesco, a sergeant, and Bakersfield Police Department’s official spokesperson, told the reporters the events leading to the senior citizen’s death. According to the sergeant’s statements, on Monday evening, a citizen dialed in the emergency line to report that man waving a gun was seen in a driveway.
The Department dispatched a police car with two officers to investigate the person’s claims. Upon arriving at the scene, the two police officers identified an elderly man, presumably the same suspect.
Without any warning, one of the police officers took out his gun and gunned down the suspect. According to his colleague, the police officer fired multiple shots towards the man. The man’s body was taken to the coroner’s office for an autopsy.
Later, the police identified the victim as being Francesco Serna, a 73-years old Hispanic male. After interviewing the man’s family, the law enforcement officers discovered that the senior citizen was suffering from dementia and that he did not possess a firearm.
Sergeant Gary Carruesco confirmed that the officers who later arrived at the scene of the shooting didn’t find any type of weapon.
Rogelio Serna, the senior citizen’s grandson explained to the press that his grandfather was diagnosed earlier this year with first-stage dementia. The young man added that the senior citizen was having problems falling asleep. For this reason, the man would go out at night to take long walks in an attempt to sleep better.
Serna’s grandson said that his family never owned firearms and that he did not understand what made the police officer believe that his grandfather was carrying a weapon. Francisco Serna was 73-years old.
To honor the memory of Francisco Serna, his family organized a candlelight vigil in the man’s former home.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield police department has placed the police officer who shot Serna on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation.
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