The following is a news release from the Bakersfield Police Department:
On November 27, 2010, at approximately 2:00 a.m., officers of the Bakersfield Police Department were dispatched to a call of a man down near the intersection of Eighth Street and Union Avenue. When officers arrived on scene they located an adult male lying on the ground by the pay phones near the entrance of Jalisco Market.
It was determined the victim had been assaulted and was suffering from a stab wound to the chest. The victim was transported to Kern Medical Center where he later died of his injuries.
It is unknown if this incident was gang related. The identity of the victim is known, however will not be released until notification is made to the family.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Jim Moore at 326-3567 or Detective Mike Hale at 326-3858.
The coroner's office has since identified the victim as 49-year-old Robert Ernest Martinez of Bakersfield.
