On the night of September 18, 2023, at about 11 p.m., 43-year-old Daniel Leland Santana Landeros was fatally shot at Yokuts Park in Bakersfield, California. Landeros was celebrating his birthday with a friend when a man approached, directed homophobic slurs at them, and a verbal confrontation followed. A single gunshot struck Landeros in the chest, and he died at the scene.

Police arrested 27-year-old Delano resident Fredi Rivera on October 4, 2023; court documents say Rivera was charged with first-degree murder and was in violation of a 10-year firearm prohibition from a prior conviction. Documents also allege Rivera used a homophobic slur immediately before the shooting, but the Kern County District Attorney’s Office had not filed hate crime charges or enhancements at that time.

Landeros was an active LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocate, a Highland High School graduate who studied sociology at Bakersfield College and UCLA, and taught sociology at Portland Community College. He is survived by his partner, father, sister, and niece. If anyone knew Daniel or has information about the night at Yokuts Park, please share what you can.