BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the teen who died after a shooting at Independence High School as 17-year-old Levi Jermaine Carter Brown of Bakersfield.
RELATED: 17-year-old boy shot & killed at Independence H.S. during football game in Bakersfield
The Bakersfield Police Department said on Friday, August 21, 2026, after 8 p.m., officers were called to reports of shots at Independence High School. Police said the shooting happened south of the football field, inside the gates of the football stadium, as the football game was happening.
When officers arrived, they found Brown suffering injuries from gunshot wounds.
He was taken to Kern Medical, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police announced the following day that a 15-year-old boy was arrested for murder and participation in a criminal street gang.
RELATED: 15-year-old arrested in deadly shooting at Independence High football game
Bakersfield police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting that left a 17-year-old dead during a football game at Independence High School on Friday, August 21, 2026. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX, BPD
Investigators initially said the shooting appeared to stem from an isolated altercation involving a group of individuals.
Bakersfield police said investigators had determined that the victim and suspect were known to one another and that this was not a random act of violence.