Leana Margarita Perez, 23, was shot in the early morning darkness of July 12, 2025, at Heritage Park on Bernard Street near Mount Vernon Avenue in Bakersfield. Officers responding around 1:25 a.m. found her wounded and she was taken to Kern Medical, where she was pronounced dead. Coroner’s officials identified her and fixed the scene and hour of the violence that tore through the east side park.

Detectives traced the gunfire to a teenager who had been present in the park that night. Bakersfield police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of the homicide, saying their investigation placed him at the scene. The department urged anyone with information to come forward as the community absorbed news that such a young suspect had been taken into custody.

Did anyone who was in or near Heritage Park that night see something that could help clarify what happened to Leana Margarita Perez?