Police: Suspects arrested in fatal shooting wore same clothing as on surveillance video

William Darden (left) and Dalton Thompson appeared in court on murder and robbery charges.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Three men accused of a fatal shooting on Union Avenue last month were arrested days later wearing the same clothing seen on surveillance video, police said.

Dalton Ray Thompson, 25, William Wendell Darden, 23, and Joey Elias, 22, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and robbery charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next week.

The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. on May 20 in the 100 block of Union Avenue, police said. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter activation found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to court documents, police reviewed surveillance videos showing the suspects before and after the shooting and found two 9mm cartridges.

On May 28, police spotted the three suspects walking in the 100 block of Eye Street.

“All three suspects were wearing the same identifiable clothing seen on surveillance video,” an officer wrote in the documents.

They were taken into custody. Thompson and Elias were arrested without incident, Darden after running home, documents say.