A 20-year-old Anaheim man in custody on an unrelated charge has been identified as the suspect who allegedly shot and killed another man as he sat in his vehicle in Long Beach, police said on Wednesday.
Saeed Wheeler faces one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the Feb. 2 shooting of 31-year-old Nashon Wall of Signal Hill, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
On that day, officers were called to the area of Atlantic Avenue and Esther Street at about 6:35 p.m. on reports of a shooting and found Wall lying unresponsive in the roadway next to his parked vehicle. He was taken to a hospital, where he died of his wounds.
Homicide detectives determined Wall was approached by “multiple male subjects,” one of whom produced a handgun and shot at Wall as he sat in his car, according to the LBPD.
The suspects then ran into a nearby apartment complex. The LBPD served a search warrant at the apartment complex and recovered evidence at the scene, but no suspects were taken into custody.
Investigators later identified Wheeler as the alleged shooter and issued a warrant for his arrest on March 9, but later discovered he had been taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on an unrelated charge.
Wheeler was being held on $3.1 million bail, and is due to appear in Long Beach Superior Court on Friday.
“Detectives will continue their efforts to ensure anyone else who participated in this crime is brought to justice,” the LBPD said. “The motive for the assault and whether a connection exists between the victim and suspect(s) remains under investigation.”
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call homicide detectives at 562-570-7244, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
