Someone fired a gun at a Bakersfield television station not once, but twice in less than a week, and police still don’t know who pulled the trigger.
Quick Take
- Shots hit the KBAK/KBFX news building in Bakersfield, California, in two separate incidents, one on Friday, October 9, and another early Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
- Investigators say ten shots struck a conference room and an office during the first attack, leaving a damaged front window and bullet holes.
- Security cameras caught a dark-colored car outside the station with what appears to be muzzle flashes, but no suspect has been named.
- No employees were hurt in either shooting, and station owner Sinclair says it is working closely with Bakersfield police.
Gunfire Hits Newsroom Twice In Less Than A Week
Bakersfield police are hunting for whoever fired shots into the KBAK/KBFX studio building, a local news operation owned by Sinclair. The first attack happened Friday night, October 9, 2026. Investigators say ten rounds struck the building, damaging a conference room, an office, and a front-facing window. No one inside was hit.
Oddly, the first shooting wasn’t even reported until two days later. Workers didn’t realize the loud noises Friday night were gunfire, according to KGET. An employee spotted the damage on Sunday and alerted police, who then opened an investigation into what had actually happened at the building.
That delay matters. It means officers started piecing together a crime scene two days cold, after cleanup, foot traffic, and weekend weather had already passed through the area. Evidence that might have been fresh Friday night was harder to recover by the time anyone called it in.
Second Attack Follows Days Later, Caught On Camera
Just as police worked the first case, shots hit the station again early Tuesday, October 13. Once more, nobody was injured. This time, security footage captured a dark-colored car outside the building, with what investigators describe as muzzle flashes visible in the video.
The footage gives police their best lead so far, but it doesn’t answer the biggest questions. The reports don’t identify a license plate, a driver, or even the car’s make and model. Investigators have not disclosed what type of weapon was used or how many times the building was hit in the second incident.
Sinclair confirmed the company is cooperating fully with the Bakersfield Police Department. The company says employee safety is its top priority and stressed that no staff member was hurt in either shooting. Police have asked anyone with information to call them directly at 661-327-7111.
What Investigators Still Need To Nail Down
No arrest has been made in either shooting. Police haven’t named a suspect, confirmed a motive, or said whether the two incidents are connected or tied to the station’s news coverage. Those answers will likely depend on forensic work tying bullets and casings from both scenes to a single weapon.
Attacks on newsrooms aren’t common, but they aren’t unheard of either. A 2024 survey of American reporters found that more than a third had faced threats of physical violence on the job. That broader pattern doesn’t explain what happened in Bakersfield, but it shows newsroom safety is a real and ongoing concern nationwide.
Police are investigating a second shooting incident where shots were fired at our sister TV station in Bakersfield. The first shooting happened Friday night and the second happened early this morning.https://t.co/wWYiyJbUjm
— FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) October 13, 2026
For now, the people who worked inside that building are left waiting, same as everyone watching the story unfold. Police have the video. They have ten bullet holes and a damaged window to account for. What they don’t have yet is a name, and until they do, the case stays open.
Sources:
6abc.com, abc7.com, kget.com, cbsaustin.com, nbc16.com
