Carl Powell Jr., 44, was shot and killed in Bakersfield on the afternoon of February 22, 2025, the same day the city held its Black History Month parade. Known to family and friends as Nunu the Great, Powell was described as funny, generous and a lifelong resident who owned a local car wash and was active as a peace advocate in his neighborhood. Officers found him about 12:50 p.m. in the 2100 block of Lotus Lane; he was taken to Kern Medical and pronounced dead at 1:38 p.m.

The Bakersfield Police Department’s Homicide Unit arrested three people with alleged gang ties: 18-year-old Devin Jones, 15-year-old Kaleb Washington, and 14-year-old Adrian Herron. Jones was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and gang participation and held without bail; Washington and Herron were charged in juvenile court. The two younger defendants later admitted to committing first-degree murder on behalf of a gang and received juvenile confinement terms that include minimum stays of six and seven years respectively, with possible confinement until age 25. Jones has pleaded not guilty and remains in the court system, where he faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

A candlelight vigil on February 24 brought family, friends and neighbors together; Powell’s sister Angel Smallwood publicly condemned the cycle of gang violence and urged it to stop.