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A 73-years old senior with dementia was shot and killed by a police officer on Monday, around midnight.
A police officer from Bakersfield, California shot and killed an unarmed senior with dementia. The 73-years old citizen was pronounced dead on site, and the police officer who fatally shot him was placed on administrative leave pending an internal police investigation.
Sergeant Gary Carruesco, an official spokesperson for the Bakersfield Police Department, told the news reported how the incident happened. According to the officer’s declaration, that on Monday, around midnight, someone dialed the emergency line saying that there is a man flourishing a firearm in a driveway.
A police car was sent to investigate the person’s allegations. As the police sergeant points out, the police car arrived on the scene at approximately 12:30 am. The law enforcement officer spotted the senior citizen in the driveway just as the citizen said.
Without any warning, one of the officers drew out his gun and fired several shots at the suspect, wo was declared dead at 1:15 am. The boy was taking to the coroner’s office for an autopsy.
The suspect has been identified as 73-years old Francisco Serna, a senior citizen of Hispanic descent who was suffering from dementia. Baffling enough, the officer who later arrived at the scene declared that they found no weapon.
Bakersfield’s police officials declared that several persons were interviewed in this case, including Rogelio Serna, the senior’s grandson. Rogelio told the officers and the press that his grandfather was diagnosed with first-stage dementia and that he usually went out during the night in order to take long walks.
Serna’s grandson declared that due to his condition, the man had sleep-related issues, and long walks would help him better. He also added that neither his grandfather nor his family never owned a firearm.
The police officers who shot and killed the senior with dementia has been placed on administrative leave, and an internal criminal investigation has been started to determine if the police officer followed procedure.
If found guilty, the officer will more than likely lose his position at the Bakersfield Police Department and will spend the next decade behind bars.
Serna’s relatives have arranged a vigil in memory of Francisco Serna and hope that this incident will raise awareness among the population regarding the ways some police officers choose to approach a case.
Image source: Pixabay
