Timothy Robert Brown, 41, of Bakersfield died on November 14, 2021 after being shot in the face during an altercation at a house on El Tejon Avenue in Oildale. The residence was described as a flophouse where people went to use drugs. Brown, a former U.S. Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, had been living with significant emotional wounds and PTSD; his family described him as a loving father to two boys.

Michael Lee Milam was arrested after the shooting. Milam told investigators he believed Brown had produced a chrome object that he thought might be a knife or a gun, and said the handgun accidentally discharged while being switched from one hand to the other. Milam was charged with murder and other offenses and later pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for dismissal of first-degree murder and other counts. The boys’ family has been left deeply affected by his death.