SHAFTER, Calif. (KGET) — Local law enforcement is in mourning following the suicide death of one of their own — an on-duty Kern County sheriff, whose identity has yet to be confirmed by the coroner’s office.
The deputy’s body was discovered Tuesday shortly before 2:20 p.m. in his patrol car just off Seventh Standard Road, about a quarter mile west of Zerker Road.
A passerby noticed the parked car, contacted emergency services and then led them to the vehicle, where they discovered the deceased male deputy, suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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The sheriff’s office called Bakersfield police around 3 p.m. and asked them to take over the investigation because the victim was one of them. Within minutes, the area was teeming with dozens of patrol vehicles.
BPD requested permission from Shafter Police to proceed with the investigation because the scene was within Shafter’s jurisdiction and Shafter had an obligation to do so.
At approximately 6:15 p.m., approximately 30 police vehicles and two BPD motorcycles escorted an unmarked white minivan from the lot where the car was discovered to the coroner’s office.
BPD Public Information Officer Eric Celedon said the deputy’s identity would be released later by the Kern County Coroner’s Office.
More than 1,200 public security personnel in the country have died by suicide in a seven-year period. According to a 2023 report from two research organizations, First HELP and CNA Corporation, 1,287 public safety personnel — that is, law enforcement officers and correctional officers — died by suicide between 2016 and 2022. That’s 184 law enforcement suicides per year.
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More than half (51%) of officer suicide deaths involved officers from local police departments. Twenty percent came from sheriff’s offices and another 13% were correctional officers. The majority were white men in their 40s.
In a statement, Bakersfield police said, “Our thoughts are with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the (victim’s) family as they grieve this tragic loss.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or having thoughts of suicide, there are resources available to help you.
Call 9-8-8 to reach the national mental health crisis hotline.
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