Damion Wafford was 19 when he was shot and killed at Lowell Park in Bakersfield on May 5, 2016. The shooting happened in broad daylight at about 1:39 p.m. near McKinley Elementary School and Emerson Middle School, prompting an immediate lockdown of both schools. Wafford was found with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses said three men fled in a red truck right after the shooting. Police arrested 19-year-old Nicholas Lancaster in connection with the murder; Lancaster and another man, Deon Martinez, had been tied to a weapons incident at Lowell Park the day before and faced gun and gang charges from that earlier incident. Two other suspects connected to Wafford’s killing remained at large.

Family and friends gathered at the park to mourn, and community leaders urged residents to provide information to help solve the case. If anyone has information about what happened at Lowell Park on May 5, 2016, contact the Bakersfield Police Department.