The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) on March 20 announced that an arrest has been made in connection with a cold-case murder investigation.
On March 16, homicide detectives arrested 73-year-old Jerry Lee Hires at his Long Beach residence. Hires was booked for murder and “ex-felon in possession of a firearm.” At press time, he was being held in Long Beach City jail with bail set at $2,000,000.
On June 13, 1976, Long Beach police were dispatched to the 300 block of East 17th Street regarding a disturbance call with possible gunshots. Arriving officers found an adult male who had sustained gunshot injuries to the upper torso inside an apartment. Long Beach Fire Department personnel transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The victim was later identified as 25-year-old Tyrone Patrick of Long Beach.
The case went unsolved for nearly 40 years until October 2015, when detectives received an anonymous tip. Detectives conducted an extensive investigation that included re-examining the evidence and locating each witness in an attempt to re-interview them, police said. Ultimately, detectives were able to arrest the individual who they believe was responsible for Patrick’s death.
On Monday, March 20, detectives presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
The investigation remains ongoing. Those with information are asked to call homicide detectives Mark Bigel and Shay Kelley at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to a smart phone or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
Source: LBPD
