Bakersfield Teen Accused of High School Football Murder Had Attacked Mother with Knife, Prosecutors Say

“YOU CANNOT TOUCH ME”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PROSECUTORS SAY A 15-YEAR-OLD WITH A HISTORY OF ASSAULTING HIS MOTHER WITH A KNIFE FATALLY SHOT A 17-YEAR-OLD AT A BAKERSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME… AND UNDER STATE LAW HE FACES JUST FOUR TO SEVEN YEARS IN CUSTODY IF CONVICTED OF MURDER.

The fatal shooting occurred during a high school football game in California last week.

It took place on a Friday.

The venue was the stadium at Independence High School in Bakersfield.

Levi Brown, 17, was fatally shot.

Gabriel Torres Reyes, 15, stands accused of the killing.

Reyes allegedly shot Brown inside the stadium.

On Wednesday, the 15-year-old made his first appearance in juvenile court.

Prosecutors used the appearance to outline his checkered past.

Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer addressed the court regarding his background.

Zimmer outlined the defendant’s prior criminal activities.

She said his disturbing criminal activities began in July 2025.

That initial incident involved a joyride in a stolen vehicle.

Zimmer described the joyride as destructive.

But the allegations presented by prosecutors soon turned to violence.

Prosecutors revealed Wednesday that Reyes had assaulted his own mother with a knife.

Zimmer added that he had threatened his mother with the knife.

On a different occasion, Reyes assaulted his stepfather.

Prosecutors also pointed to alleged gang rivalries in the case.

Zimmer said Reyes is a member of the Warlord Piru Bloods street gang.

Brown belonged to a rival gang.

That rival organization was the East Side Crips, according to Zimmer.

Reyes was charged with first-degree murder.

The murder charge was filed in the slaying of Brown.

The murder charge carries special circumstances.

Those special circumstances regard his alleged involvement in a criminal street gang.

Reyes also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by someone prohibited from having one.

In addition, he is charged with violation of the terms of his probation.

Yet the potential punishment remains limited by state statute.

If convicted of Brown’s murder, Reyes would serve just four to seven years in custody.

Zimmer said that sentence is far shorter than what he would face if tried as an adult.

Under California state law, anyone age 15 or younger cannot be tried in adult criminal court.

Zimmer addressed that statutory restriction after the court proceeding.

“It’s not our choice … I’m not happy about it,” Zimmer said after the hearing, reported KGET.

Judge Keenan Perkins presided over the juvenile court appearance.

Judge Perkins ordered that Reyes be detained.

The detention was ordered due to the seriousness of the charges.

Police did not arrest Reyes alone.

Cops arrested six more people along with Reyes following the fatal shooting.

Those six individuals were arrested on suspicion of gang-related offenses.

And the arrests came as the community gathered to remember Brown.

Community members gathered on Monday night.

A vigil was held in Brown’s memory.

The vigil honored Brown, who was known as an “exceptional” student-athlete.

His former coach Vince Carter spoke about the teenager’s athletic ability.

Carter coached Brown at Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield during his sophomore year.

Brown was described as an “exceptional athlete” by Carter.

Carter said the teenager had “all the talent in the world.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind, he would have been a college football athlete,” said Carter.

Brown was also a father.

He was the father of a one-year-old daughter.

Brown left behind his young child.

Then the matter returned to the juvenile court calendar.

Reyes remains detained in custody.

The teen is scheduled to appear for a pre-trial readiness hearing on Sept. 8.

He faces the murder charge.

He faces the special circumstances.

He faces the gang allegation.

He faces the firearm charge.

He faces the probation violation.

The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.