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A teenager with a felony record who previously struck a mother and her child with a stolen car was shot and killed in Palmdale, California, earlier this week.
Kristopher Baca, 17, was found in a driveway by deputies with multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday (January 18) night. A source connected to the investigation told KTTV that Baca was trying to "get with a girl" earlier in the evening.
While he was walking home alone, a car pulled up, and Baca got into an argument with one of the occupants. As the argument escalated, somebody in the vehicle opened fire on Baca as the driver sped away from the scene.
By the time officers arrived, Baca was pronounced dead.
In 2021, Baca, who was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty to striking the woman and her baby with a stolen car. He tried to flee the scene, but another pickup truck driver rammed into him head-on. Officers found marijuana in the car, and it was revealed that Baca had drugs in his system.
Despite having a felony record for poisoning a girl's drink, he was sentenced to just several months in a diversion camp.
The woman told Fox News that her family moved out of Los Angeles after the incident due to rising crime and the city's soft-on-crime policies.
"The universe delivered the justice we weren't given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he'd have been dealt in a court of law," she said.
Authorities have not identified any suspects in Baca's murder. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500 or call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-222-TIPS.