Two members of the West Street Street gang have been sentenced to life sentences for their roles in an April 2024 shooting that killed Dontrell Demetrius Smith, 29. Rodney Gipson was sentenced to 25 years to life, plus 10 years for first-degree murder, weapon, and gang-related charges, while Marlon Burch received a 42-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter. The case began when Bakersfield police responded to a ShotSpotter activation in the 800 block of V.