BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Two people each face a life in prison after being convicted of a gang-related shooting spree in Bakersfield back in 2021, killing two people.

The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on January 22, 2026, a Kern County jury found Jorge Flores and Carlos Trejo guilty of the first-degree murders of Vladimir Sanchez and Scottie Tripp along with special circumstances of committing the murders in furtherance of a criminal street gang and by lying in wait.

The jury also found both defendants guilty of attempting to murder three other victims during this crime spree that involved three separate shootings at three different locations in Bakersfield on January 15th and 16th, 2021.

The DA’s office said at about 10:30 p.m. on January 15, 2021, Flores and Trejo, who were active participants in the Norteno criminal street gang, drove in the area of Cottonwood Road and Cannon Avenue looking for a potential target.

Flores drove up to a man he spotted riding a bicycle. According to the DA’s office, from the passenger seat, Trejo asked the victim, “Where are you from?”, and then fired multiple shots at the man, hitting him in his stomach and left arm. Flores drove them away from the crime scene in his white Lexus sedan.

The victim was rushed to Kern Medical, where he received life-saving care for his wounds.

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Thirteen minutes after leaving the area, Flores drove his vehicle to the area of East Planz Road and Meeks Avenue and drove past a parked vehicle with Vladimir Sanchez in the driver’s seat and another male victim seated in the passenger seat. After seeing potential targets, Flores circled back and approached the victims’ parked vehicle from behind.

According to the DA’s office, upon pulling even with the victims’ car, Trejo fired nine rounds directly at Sanchez and the other male victim, hitting them both. Sanchez suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died from his injuries at the scene. The second victim was taken to Kern Medical where he received life-saving care for his gunshot wounds.

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Flores and Trejo left the area at about 10:46 p.m. in Flores’ white Lexus. On January 16, 2021, at about 5:15 a.m., Flores and Trejo drove to the area of Belle Terrace and Taylor Street and were walking outside an apartment complex looking for potential targets. Both saw Scottie Tripp. The victims were in their vehicle, warming up the engine, before heading to work. Realizing that he had forgotten something, Scottie Tripp ran back into his apartment while his brother remained in their parked car. Flores and Trejo concealed themselves behind a block wall and waited for Scottie Tripp to reemerge. Tripp returned to the parking lot and as he was walking toward his parked car, Flores and Trejo approached and Trejo asked, “where are you from?” Before Scottie Tripp could respond or react, Trejo fired seven rounds directly at Scottie, killing him immediately, according to the DA’s office.

Flores and Trejo then ran away on foot and Scottie Tripps’s brother pursued them in his vehicle. Trejo stopped running and fired five additional gunshots at the brother and his vehicle, striking the car. Flores and Trejo then left the area in Flores’ white Lexus and drove back to Trejo’s home.

Detectives from the Bakersfield Police Department conducted the investigation. In April 2021, additional evidence linked the defendants to the crime scene. Investigators ultimately connected the defendants to the same vehicle used at all three crime scenes and confirmed their locations at the time of the murders, leading to their arrest.

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District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented, saying, “Flores and Trejo acted with clear intent to commit murder as part of a crime spree carried out for the benefit of their street gang. Two lives were lost, and three others were permanently altered due to this senseless act of violence. These crimes demand serious consequences, and we will pursue severe punishment to ensure these individuals can no longer harm our community.”

Their sentencing is scheduled for February 23, 2026, where each faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.