BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Nearly two years after a fatal shooting in McFarland, a Delano man accused in the case is scheduled to go to trial on August 17, according to Kern County court records.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: McFarland Police Department investigate shooting that left one man dead
Michael Mendez faces five charges, including murder, in the death of 34-year-old McFarland man Xavier Campa Lopez. Mendez pleaded not guilty in March 2026.
The case dates back to August 24, 2024, at about 9:37 p.m., when McFarland police officers were called to reports of a shooting in the 200 block of East Perkins Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a man lying in the roadway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The man was later identified as Lopez, who was pronounced dead.
McFarland police said investigators found information during the investigation linking a person to Lopez’s shooting death. Mendez was arrested in Delano on October 1, 2024.
In addition to the murder charge, Mendez is charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle at a person, shooting at an inhabited vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and being a prohibited person owning ammunition.
Mendez is set to return to court on August 7 for a readiness hearing ahead of the pending August 17 trial date.