BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — When a fight erupted at an illegal car meet on White Lane, two men fired guns.
The first fired into the air to stop the fight, he told police. The second fired into the crowd.
A round hit 19-year-old Johnny Cruz in the head. He died the next day.
Bryce Vonta Williams, 25, was identified by his girlfriend as the man who fired the deadly shot the night of Feb. 5, according to court documents released Friday. He also allegedly hit another person in the arm.
Williams fled the state and was arrested in Memphis, Tenn. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, assault with a firearm on a person and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Held on $2 million bail, Williams is due back in court June 14.
The shooting happened around 11 p.m. at a sideshow, which in this case involved reckless driving in a parking lot, in the 2300 block of White Lane, near Hughes Lane. Between 100 to 200 people attended.
Detectives interviewed dozens of witnesses and reviewed numerous videos during the course of the investigation.
Cruz became involved in a fight with another person, according to the documents. Others joined in.
A man whose name is redacted in the reports, fired into the air in what he said was an effort to disperse the crowd, the documents say. Police said a video clearly shows the man shoot into the air.
Then Williams, standing north of the crowd, fired four shots, the documents say. A witness told police he saw Williams shoot as he ran away.
Williams got into a gold 2012 Honda Odyssey with a woman, two men and a juvenile, according to the documents. The vehicle was located in Los Angeles, as was the owner — Williams’ girlfriend.
She told police she attended the car show with Williams but didn’t witness the shooting. She took him to Los Angeles International Airport Feb. 10 and he flew to Memphis, where he was arrested, the documents say.
