Christopher Guadron, 27, was shot in the chest during a confrontation at Heritage Park in east Bakersfield on the morning of December 9, 2017. Officers responded about 9:30 a.m.; Guadron was taken to Kern Medical where he later died. A woman involved in the same altercation was shot in the abdomen and treated for relatively minor injuries.

Police quickly identified 19-year-old Guillermo Soto as the primary suspect. Soto, described as a member of the Eastside Bakers gang and on probation with prior felony and gang-related arrests, was arrested December 10, 2017, on charges including homicide, attempted murder, assault with a firearm and gang enhancements. Soto and his girlfriend were reportedly involved in the fight; Soto denied firing a gun and said they had been jumped, claiming self-defense.

At trial in May 2019 a jury acquitted Soto of murder, attempted murder and other serious counts, convicting him only of possession of a firearm by a felon. Did anyone see what happened at Heritage Park that morning or know Guadron’s movements before the shooting?