Man dies in gunbattle with police
By THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN
A 22-year-old man was shot to death in a gunbattle with Bakersfield police early Friday morning.
The fatal wounding of Darrin Hogg came after he fired at three officers, police said.
Hogg has no local criminal record, but there was a cocaine sales warrant for his arrest out of Sacramento, police said.
Hogg's bullets struck two patrol cars the officers were in just before the shooting began, police said.
None of the officers were injured in the 12:20 a.m. shooting at Niles Place near Union Avenue.
Hogg opened fire with a .45-caliber handgun after one officer, Daniel McAfee, spotted him walking on the street and asked to talk to him, police said.
McAfee was trying to find out about a fight that occurred about 13 minutes earlier in the 300 block of Monterey Street, a few blocks away.
Police heard gunfire in that area, but didn't see anything.
Just as Hogg was shooting at McAfee, and McAfee was shooting back, two other officers arrived in a patrol car.
Officers Robert Pair and Michael Johns got out of their patrol car as Hogg turned his attention to them and started firing in their direction, police said.
Pair and Johns returned fire, striking Hogg multiple times. Hogg fell and was taken into custody. He died later at Kern Medical Center.
During the gun battle, Hogg emptied his gun, striking both patrol cars six times each, Sgt. Mary DeGeare said.
His bullets struck the driver's seat head rest and right rear quarter panel of the car McAfee got out of. He also hit the passenger side spotlight, right front bumper, passenger door and right quarter panel of the car that Johns and Pair were in, police said.
Meanwhile, police found .45-caliber casings in the 200 block of Monterey Street where the earlier gunfire was heard, police said. Those casings may be related to the initial gunfire that officers heard, police said.
The officers were placed on routine administrative leave until the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent review process.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 327-7111.
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