David John Lopez III was 15 when he was shot and killed on October 28, 2022, on the 1400 block of Pacific Street in Bakersfield. Police arrived about 6:20 p.m.; Lopez was found with severe injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance video reportedly shows him running across the street holding what appeared to be a long stick or pipe, jumping into an SUV that drove toward 28-year-old Austin French, then leaving the SUV and approaching French’s property shortly before French fired the fatal shot on his front lawn.

Officers located French at a nearby residence; he surrendered peacefully and a firearm was recovered. French was booked into Kern County Jail on murder and multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon, but the district attorney later declined to file charges immediately and released him while sending the case back to the Bakersfield Police Department for further investigation. French and supporters say he acted in self-defense while protecting his property and a pregnant friend, Angelina Cortez. The Lopez family rejects that account and says their son was killed in cold blood.

Does anyone have information about the events that night or the people involved that could help clarify what happened?