BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Monday morning discussing the hostage situation in Wasco. Sheriff Donny Youngblood confirmed the death of Deputy Sheriff Phillip Campas and the death of three hostages and the suspect.
The suspect was armed with an AK-47-style rifle and handgun despite having a restraining order against him on June 3rd.
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"It looks like a domestic violence situation. There was a restraining order. This was the mother of two of [the suspect's] children. It has the implication of what we see in law enforcement when it comes to domestic violence," Sheriff Youngblood said.
The Kern County Sheriff proceeded to explain that restraining orders are not foolproof and can still end in cases like this.
According to a study done by Sorenson and Shen, 84-92 percent of restraining orders are because of domestic violence and roughly 147 of 880 restraining orders made go unserved therefore do not get enforced.
With that being said, it’s a surprise the suspect was able to attain guns with a restraining order filed against him. California state law states that you cannot be in possession or buy a gun if you have a restraining order against you.
The investigation is still ongoing.
