Bakersfield high school murder suspect had attacked mom with knife

A 15 year old accused of fatally shooting a 17 year old during a high school football game in California last week had assaulted his own mother with a knife, prosecutors revealed Wednesday.

Gabriel Torres Reyes, who allegedly shot Levi Brown in the stadium at Independence High School in Bakersfield Friday, made his first appearance in juvenile court when his checkered past was outlined.

Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said that his disturbing criminal activities began in July 2025 when he went on a destructive joyride in a stolen vehicle.

The prosecutor added that he had threatened his mother with a knife and assaulted his stepfather on a different occasion.

Zimmer said Reyes is a member of Warlord Piru Bloods street gang while Brown belonged to the rival East Side Crips gang.

Reyes is facing charges of first-degree murder with special circumstances regarding his alleged involvement in a criminal street gang, possession of a firearm by someone prohibited from having one and violation of the terms of his probation. 

If convicted of Brown’s murder, he would serve just four to seven years in custody — a sentence Zimmer said is far shorter than what he would face if tried as an adult. But, under California state law, anyone age 15 or younger cannot be tried in adult criminal court.

“It’s not our choice … I’m not happy about it,” Zimmer said after the hearing, reported KGET.

Judge Keenan Perkins ordered Reyes be detained due to the seriousness of the charges; the teen is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial readiness hearing on Sept. 8.

Cops arrested six more people along with Reyes following the fatal shooting on suspicion of gang-related offenses. The arrests came as the community gathered Monday night to remember Brown, who was described as an “exceptional athlete” who had “all the talent in the world,” by his former coach Vince Carter.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, he would have been a college football athlete,” said Carter, who coached Brown at Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield during his sophomore year.

Brown was also the father of a one-year-old daughter.

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