I'll beat Old Blue to the punch - where's the video of the van?

They did not release the video. Just the screen grab. 

A lot of time the surveillance footage from cameras like these are nothing but a sequence of photos shot every second or two anyway.

-- Davin McHenry

Thanks Davin, Old Blue seems to be slacking today

Bakonative, fyi, I saw the original news release from the BPD today and there was no video attached. That's why I didn't bust the BNT's you know what, this time... LOL.

Pauls family and friends laid him to rest today at 11:00 am at Hillcrest, .... I hope that the person who did this will realize that there is a bigger law to follow than just the earthly ones and that there will be a final judgement for their soul once their life is over, no one is  promised tomorrow, and what better example for that fact  than what just happened to Paul? I figure that the person driiving didnt stop because he /she /they were involved in something illegal , what other reason could there be? I don't know if he was even crossing in the walk or not, but thats not the point, how do you hit someone hard enough to throw them 150 feet and not stop to help unless you are involved in illegal activities , or an illegal alien ? Either way, you will answer for yourself before God.

Paul was only 23 yrs old, but he was a good hearted young man,  a wonderful person,  a true friend, a mentor to younger kids, etc, he was someones baby, someones brother, someones uncle,someones friend, etc, He was somebody who mattered a great deal to others, and I just want the person who did this to know that I don't think they will get away with this, and if I were you, I would have stopped , I think maybe since you didn't , Law enforcement may not be the only thing you have to hide from now... Paul had a lot of friends, and they all have their eyes peeled for this Van, and therir cell phones at hand, .We know you aint dumb enough to be driving it, and that its hidden somewhere, but Bakersfield may not be as big as you think it is... You should come forward, I mean, Why wouldn't you, unless of course, This WASN'T  a tragic accident?

I wonder if the person who Paul robbed 4 years ago, and which resulted in him going to prison for 2 years, would consider him a good hearted, wonderful young man?

To OldBlue56,

A kind friend brought your post to my attention and I feel the need to respond as follows:

In our youth we all make plenty of mistakes.  If you are honest with yourself I'm sure you can admit to a few of your own.  

Now it seems, somehow, that you've done investigation into Paul's background, or perhaps you 've met him personally.  Don't know....don't care.  I don't know you.  But I do know Paul.  What Paul did that landed him into trouble was beyond stupid.  Absolutely, positively, no excuses...no justification for what Paul did that landed him in jail.  Truly top on the list of the dumbest things he had ever done...and he was the first to admit it.  And yes, the person on the other side of the counter probably wouldn't see Paul as others do....as we in his family do.  Don't even expect that they would, or could.  What Paul did was wrong, and he knew that. An impulsive stupid mistake.....trying to steal a pack of cigarettes...while having a pocket knife in his possession.  In no way am I trying to diminish what he did...it was just so very much the wrong thing to do.  What I do want  to emphasize the shear stupidity of it...of youth ...it made absolutely no sense, and this was typical Paul.  Not taking time to think things through and the possible consequences of his actions before he acted;  whether it was, as a kid, not coming home from a friends house at an appointed time or telling us where he had gone and ending up being grounded for it, or taking up a cause for someone else when he would have been better off to have minding his own business, or in his instance, trying to steal a stupid pack of cigarettes.  Makes no sense at all. 

In what you know of Paul  I can see though that you apparently you do not know that  he took his  punishment like a man, without complaint.  Paul was at a point in his life where he was trying, as best as he could, to overcome past mistakes.  He knew couldn't change what happened.  What was done, was done.  I'm just astonished, though, at how you can seem to equate his wrongdoing as somehow deserving of the heinous way in which he died.  So let me be clear in how I feel about your comments.  Since you seem free to equate them to a crime, I have no problem equating yours to the crime perpetrated on our son.  Let's put it this way....the police have told us that the person who hit Paul knew they hit him because he was carried by their car some portion of the 97 feet from where he was first hit (in the crosswalk) to where he landed......it takes a pretty callous person to walk away from that.  It also takes a pretty callous person to make comments about someone who is no longer here to defend themselves...someone you really do not know at all.   

To those who have said such kind words:

Paul came to us out of the foster care system a spunky, cute, impulsive, 11 year old sixth grader on May 31, 1996.   We adopted Paul when he was 16.  He was laid to rest on May 31, 2008, exactly 12 years to the date that he came into our lives.  No angel by any means, just a kid in search of himself.  We believe Paul was well on his way to finding the man he would have become.

Pauls capacity to love others is what we will remember most of all. For all the pain of his youth, from foster home to foster home, until he came to ours, he deserved so much more than he received in this world and in the way he left this world.

We laid Paul to rest this past Saturday.  To see the number of people attending bore witness to the number of people Paul touched in his short life.  I will not forget the last young man, around the same age as Paul, who passed by us, so devasted by the loss of his friend.  He wanted to tell us that Paul, who had so little himself, took him in when he was on the streets and made sure that he had food to eat.   

For Paul it was always about family.   We were constantly surprised when he would show up at our home with a new friend that he would introduce as his "cousin" knowing full well that the person wasn't really his cousin.  He didn't care....they were family.  Paul had many nieces and nephews that absolutely adored him.  Knowing how children have a way of being able to see people for who they really are, knowing how much Paul loved children, and they him, speaks to the very heart of person of our son, Paul Anthony Waggoner (Rodriguez).   Underneath his sometimes cocky exterior hid a heart of gold, a wounded little boy trying to make up for lost time and carry a load much bigger than anyone his age should ever have to carry.  No complaints from Paul though.  Taking care of family was more important to him than anything.

Paul loved both of his families, his adoptive and his birth family.  As our son Robert said on the night that Paul died, "Paul left us on a high note".. and we truly believe this.  Paul had made comments to others that he really wanted to make his Dad proud.......and Paul, you did.  One of the last times we saw you, when you came to see your brother Cale off to his new job over at the coast, your Dad told you just how proud he was of you.  Paul was finally on his way.  He had been working for a Temp Service on a project in Delano, had received certification to work in the oil fields and was looking forward to getting a full time job. We knew he would succeed with this type of work because hard physical labor was something Paul never backed away from.  He loved working with his hands, loved working outdoors.  And, no matter his age, whether 12 or 23, whatever job he was given to do he always wanted to get the job done first ...with no procrastination...no complaints.  Giving a hard days work was important to him as knowing that when it was finished it meant he could relax and play.   Paul's work is completed here, though much too soon for those of us still mourning his loss.

We are comforted by the fact that we know we will see him again, someday.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post,

Jacquilyn Waggoner

YOU GO MAMMA !!!!