The Kern County Coroner’s Office has identified the man killed in a deputy-involved shooting in Lake Isabella as 39-year-old Fernando Padilla of Bodfish.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office reported that on Sunday, January 11, 2026, around 1:40 a.m., deputies from the Kern Valley Substation responded to reports of a person firing a handgun near Kilbreth Avenue and Lake Isabella Boulevard.
Deputies made contact with the suspect, who moved toward Highway 178, where a deputy-involved shooting occurred.
Deputies rendered medical aid, and medical personnel arrived on the scene, but Padilla was pronounced dead at the location.
The coroner confirmed that Padilla died on Highway 178, east of the Kernville Road off-ramp.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office stated that detectives investigate any use of deadly force by department members, and all findings are submitted to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for criminal review.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at (661) 861-3110 or Kern Secret Witness at (661) 322-4040.