Unarmed grandfather with dementia shot nine times by California cops
- 7 years ago
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA — A 73-year-old man suffering from the early stages of dementia was gunned down by police, a case of mistaken identity that turned fatal.
On the night of December 12, Francisco Serna was going for an evening walk in his neighborhood, a routine he’d taken up when he was feeling restless before bed. At 12:35 a.m., police received a report of a man brandishing a gun in the area.
When an officer arrived on scene, he spoke to a witness, who pointed him to a man standing in a driveway nearby. The man he pointed out was Francisco Serna. The officer wasted no time in unloading his weapon, firing nine bullets at the elderly man, killing him on the spot. Serna happened to be standing in his next door neighbor’s driveway at the moment he was shot dead.
When investigators searched the area in the aftermath of the shooting, they did not recover a gun. Records indicate police had visited Serna’s home twice before due to a medical alarm he’d set off when he found himself in a confused state.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.
On the night of December 12, Francisco Serna was going for an evening walk in his neighborhood, a routine he’d taken up when he was feeling restless before bed. At 12:35 a.m., police received a report of a man brandishing a gun in the area.
When an officer arrived on scene, he spoke to a witness, who pointed him to a man standing in a driveway nearby. The man he pointed out was Francisco Serna. The officer wasted no time in unloading his weapon, firing nine bullets at the elderly man, killing him on the spot. Serna happened to be standing in his next door neighbor’s driveway at the moment he was shot dead.
When investigators searched the area in the aftermath of the shooting, they did not recover a gun. Records indicate police had visited Serna’s home twice before due to a medical alarm he’d set off when he found himself in a confused state.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.