A 35-year-old Mojave man was shot and killed outside a gas station early Wednesday, and within hours sheriff's investigators had tracked down a 20-year-old suspect living just blocks from the scene. The Kern County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as Mario Junior Ramirez.
Ramirez was shot at the Fastrip in the 2300 block of Highway 58 at around 1:10 a.m., according to BakersfieldNow. He was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by KGET, which first identified him as Mario Junior Ramirez, 35, of Mojave.
At the time Ramirez was shot, the person responsible had not been identified, the outlet's report noted. But by late Wednesday morning, deputies had made an arrest: 20-year-old Tyler Camarena was found and taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Suspect Found Just Blocks From the Shooting
Camarena was located and arrested at about 11:45 a.m. in the 15200 block of Nadene Street, per the same account — a stretch of Mojave not far from the Fastrip where the shooting occurred. Sheriff's officials had not released further information about the shooting as of the report, leaving the circumstances that led to the gunfire unexplained.
The case adds to a grim tally for the county this year. KGET's homicide tracker has recorded 30 confirmed homicides in Kern County so far in 2026, underscoring the scale of violence investigators have been working to address across the region.
What Remains Unknown
Sheriff's officials have released only the basic outline of the shooting and arrest, and have not disclosed what led up to the gunfire outside the Fastrip. No further details about the investigation had been made public as of the latest reporting.
