BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Bakersfield Police has released details about the man driving the car the night 5-year-old Kason Guyton was shot and killed during the drive by shooting.
The driver, who has been in police custody since the night of the fatal shooting, has been identified as Dayvon Vercher, a documented member of the East Side Crips.
Police reports indicate that Vercher, the boyfriend of Guyton’s mother, was on California Avenue about 8:30 p.m. on February 23. When someone opened fire from another car, Vercher quickly drove off. As he was getting away, he discovered that his girlfriend’s children - who were in the backseat of his car - had been shot.
He rushed the two brothers, 7-year-old BJ and 5-year-old Kason, to the hospital. BJ survived, but Kason died from gunshot wounds.
Vercher was questioned and arrested on a parole violation. Upon being booked into county jail, a recorded jailhouse call revealed that he asked a friend to remove a gun from his apartment. When investigators searched his residence, they found a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which had been stolen back in 2010. At that time, Vercher was serving time on a charge for assault with a deadly weapon.
In 2002, Vercher was facing attempted murder charges after he was accused of opening fire on a group of people. At 17 years-old he took a plea deal and was sentenced to 15 years for assault with a deadly weapon. He served 13 and a half years and paroled in 2015.
Vercher remains in jail where he is charged with violation parole, possession of a firearm and ammunition, receiving stolen property and participating in a street gang. He appeared in court Tuesday and will return in two weeks.
While BPD confirms that Vercher was the driver of the car that the boys were shot in, they cannot confirm that he was the intended target but reports indicate that he was an Eastside Crip gang member living in rival gang, Westside Crip’s, territory.
On February 24th, after the shooting, Vercher was charged for parole violation, possession of a firearm and ammunition, stolen property, and membership in a street gang.
BPD has not confirmed if Vercher was intended the target. But, he is not a suspect involved in the shooting of Kason Guyton. There was no comment on the details on his parole violation.
The FBI has added $5,000 to the reward for any information leading to arrests in connection with the death of Kason Guyton. BPD had also previously announced a $5,000 reward.
No arrests have been made and no suspect information has been released.
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