Family, friends and supporters gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil in memory of 15-year-old Joshua Simmons. Joshua’s family says they are shocked that this happened. It was just a week away from 16. They say this area is not the safest and have a message for people watching “If I can leave a message for everyone, it’s just that safety first, family is very important, and you know, if there’s anything you can do, you just care about each other,” said Simmons’s uncle Vanarith. Ιμ. “Support each other, support each other. This is very unnecessary.” Just before 9:30 p.m. on Friday, police were called to a public housing complex on East 1000 Via Wanda Square, between Orange and Atlantic Avenues, police said. They arrived to find Simmons on a basketball court suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body, the researchers said. Ambulances were called to the scene where Simmons was pronounced dead. Police later learned that the teenager had arranged to buy a cell phone from someone through an online shopping app and was to meet the seller at the crime scene. “During the transaction, there was a clash that escalated into a deadly shooting,” officials said. Detectives identified the suspect as 24-year-old Jose Bustamante Cardenas of Los Angeles. Cardenas was arrested on suspicion of murder and had a firearm confiscated, authorities said. He was held in Long Beach City Jail, where he was held on $ 2 million bail. “He cared deeply for others. We are devastated by this loss,” read a statement posted on a GoFundMe created for Simmons on behalf of his family. The homicide detectives of Long Beach Police Department urged anyone with information about the shooting to call (562) 570-7244 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
