US: Unarmed 73-year-old man killed by police in Bakersfield

US: Unarmed 73-year-old man killed by police in Bakersfield

An unarmed 73-year-old man whose family said was in the initial stages of dementia was shot and killed early Monday by a Bakersfield police officer, authorities said.

Photo Source: Time

When police arrived, a witness pointed to a man in the driveway of a residence. An officer fired several rounds at the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Kern County coroner’s office identified the man as Francisco Serna. A retired father of five children, Serna lived on the block where the shooting occurred, his son, Rogelio Serna, told The Times.

Police said the call was prompted by a report of a man with a firearm, but investigators canvassed the area after the shooting and did not recover a gun, Carruesco said. Police searched the family’s home and cars and did not recover a firearm, Rogelio Serna said.

“During a search of Mr. Serna, a dark colored simulated woodgrain crucifix was recovered,” read a statement from the Bakersfield Police Department obtained by USA Today. “Mr. Serna was not armed at the time of the shooting. No firearm has been recovered.”