Man arrested in connection with slaying of 72-year-old in East Long Beach, police say
Police say they identified the suspect in the fatal shooting of an elderly man earlier this month as 38-year-old William Altpeter of Idyllwild.
Detectives have arrested an Idyllwild man they believe fatally shot a 72-year-old man in East Long Beach earlier this month, according to police.
Officers responded to the home of the 72-year-old man in the 4700 block of Greenmeadow Road the night of Nov. 1, where they found him with what first appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper body.
The elderly man, whose identity yet to be released, died at the scene.
Detectives, along with personnel from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, arrived shortly after to investigate and determined the elderly man had actually been fatally shot by someone, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Through further investigation, detectives identified 38-year-old William Altpeter as a suspect in the slaying, police said.
On Thursday, authorities located Altpeter in Idyllwild and took him into custody on suspicion of murder, according to the LBPD.
He’s since been brought back to Long Beach where he is being held in lieu of $3 million bail, police said.
Police additionally served warrants at Altpeter’s home and other places believed to be connected to the crime in Long Beach, authorities said.
There, officers found evidence related to the shooting, police said. The LBPD did not provide details of that evidence.
Police have yet to release a motive for the shooting, only saying that Altpeter and the elderly man knew each other. Police did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship.
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