BAKERSFIELD, California — Police are investigating two shootings at the KBAK/KBFX television studios within days of one another, with no injuries reported in either incident.
The first occurred Friday evening, according to reporting by The Desk. A second incident occurred Tuesday, October 13. The Desk reported that surveillance video showed shots fired toward the building and damage to an office and conference-room exterior.
In an October 14 report, ABC station KFSN said people were working inside when shots were fired and that police had not announced an arrest. That is the status reported at that time, rather than confirmation that the investigation has remained unchanged.
Sinclair, the stations’ owner, told The Desk it was cooperating with the Bakersfield Police Department and taking the incidents seriously. The available accounts do not establish a motive or whether the same person was responsible for both incidents.
The newsroom-safety question
The incidents bring attention to the workplace itself as part of newsroom safety. Field-reporting precautions are only one part of protecting journalists and other station employees.
For station managers, the practical questions include how employees report a threat, who decides when a building must be evacuated and how news and emergency information remain available if staff cannot use their studios. Those are broader operational questions; the reports do not establish a security failure by these stations.
Sources: KFSN’s report, carried by ABC7; The Desk’s reporting and Sinclair statement.
Prepared with AI assistance and source verification.