The death of police informant Jorge Ramirez in a police shootout and how he exposed the corruption of the Bakersfield Force.

WHEN Jorge Ramirez was killed in a 2013 police shootout, his family questioned “everything they knew” about their small California town.
The 34-year-old father of five was gunned down by Bakersfield officers in a hotel parking lot while working as a police informant, local reports said.

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He had been killed outside the Four Points Sheraton Hotel alongside wanted criminal Justin Harger during an undercover operation after he reportedly agreed to help police.
Now a new documentary aims to uncover exactly what happened the night of Ramirez’s death and how it fits into the broader alleged police corruption in the north LA city.
Killing County, from executive producer Colin Kaepernick, is hearing from Ramirez’s family and at least one Bakersfield officer convicted of misconduct.
A trailer for the three-part show details how the city of 400,000 had the deadliest police force in the country per capita.
It also hears from a resident saying, “I knew the homicide rate in Bakersfield was high.
“I didn’t really know what that meant until I got here.”
Another added: “They are [police] should not be judge, jury, and executioner.”
Says the show’s producers, “The series takes a look at Bakersfield, a big city with a small-town soul deep in the heart of California, where things aren’t always what they seem.
“A fatal shooting at a hotel has the Ramirez family question everything they know about their city.
“Desperate to find out what really happened to their loved one, they soon learn that they are not alone in their tragedy and are fighting for the truth.”
The show’s synopsis calls the document “a tale of … alleged corruption and cover-up” and asks, “Who do you turn to when those meant to serve you and protect you are the ones you cannot trust?”
No officials have been charged over Ramirez’s death. He was reportedly unarmed at the time of the shooting.
However, it was later revealed that two detectives, Detectives Damacio Diaz and Patrick Mara, had turned him into an informant. None of the officers were involved in his death.
The Ramirez family later agreed to a $400,000 settlement following a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
Speaking to Bakersfield.com in 2015, Jorge Ramirez Snr said, “My son was killed in a way no one deserves.”
“He helped the police. They should have protected him,” added his sister Nicole Ramirez.


Killing County airs February 3 on Hulu.
Kaepernick has called it “one of the most powerful projects I’ve ever been a part of”.

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https://www.the-sun.com/news/7231233/jorge-ramirezs-death-police-shootout-bakersfield-corruption/ The death of police informant Jorge Ramirez in a police shootout and how he exposed the corruption of the Bakersfield Force.