BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The fatal shooting last month of a man who pointed a gun at deputies was justified, according to a sheriff’s review board.
Fidel Bedolla, 55, was shot and killed Oct. 6 on Texas Street near Tyree Tolliver Street.
Video of the shooting showed him get out of a car and point a gun at deputies.
“After reviewing all the facts involved in this case, the Critical Incident Review Board determined the force used in this incident was within departmental policy,” said a sheriff’s news release sent Monday afternoon.
A video posted on YouTube by Kern County Sheriff’s Office provides a timeline of the events leading up to the shooting.
Deputies were dispatched at 10:35 p.m. Oct. 5 to a report of a domestic violence incident in the 700 block of Knotts Street, in East Bakersfield. They located a victim who said Bedolla had assaulted and threatened them with a gun, according to the video.
Upon learning Bedolla might be hiding out on Texas Street, deputies requested the sheriff’s helicopter fly over the neighborhood, sheriff’s officials say. A Ford SUV believed to be the suspect’s was spotted.
Deputies arrived to find Bedolla seated in the front seat. He refused to get out. Officials said he kept looking around the vehicle, noting the positions of deputies.
Eventually, Bedolla left the SUV and raised a handgun at deputies, who opened fire, the video shows. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The gun was determined to be stolen, officials said.
Sgt. Adrian Olmos and Deputies Andrew Bassett, Robert Gonzales, Robert Fisher, Nicholas Rocha and Adrian Benavides were placed on routine administrative leave pending the board’s review.
