Javier Meraz, a 23-year-old resident of Bakersfield, California, was killed on January 5, 2014. Deputies from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting in the 100 block of Griffith Street in southwest Bakersfield in the early morning hours. Meraz was found with gunshot wounds to his hands and lower torso, was taken to Kern Medical Center, and was pronounced dead at about 5 a.m. that day.

Investigators identified a suspect and on January 9, 2014 arrested 20-year-old Ismael Arsenio Leon at a residence in the 6500 block of Cottonwood Road. Leon was booked into the Kern County Jail on charges of first-degree murder after deputies gathered evidence sufficient to obtain an arrest warrant. The Kern County District Attorney’s Office pursued first-degree murder charges in the case.

If anyone has information about Meraz, his movements the night of January 4–5, 2014, or the events on Griffith Street, please share what is known.