Delbert Belton: World War II Veteran Beaten To Death By Two Teens In Spokane, One Suspect Arrested
Police have arrested a suspect connected to the beating death of a World War II veteran, CNN reports. The juvenile has been charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree murder.
Delbert Belton, 88, was severely beaten by two teens outside the Eagles Lodge pool hall in Spokane, Wash earlier this week. When police arrived on the scene, Belton was suffering from serious head injuries. He succumbed to his wounds at Sacred Heart Medical Center on Thursday morning.
Authories have not been able to determine a motive in the killing.
“It does appear random," Spokane Police Major Crimes Detective Lieutenant Mark Griffiths said. "It appears he was assaulted in the parking lot and there was no indication that he would have known these people prior to the assault."
According to CNN, Belton was an army veteran who served in the Pacific during World War II. He was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa. Belton was also a retired employee of Kaiser Aluminum, where he worked for more than 30 years.
Belton’s death sent shockwaves through the local community. According to NBCNews.com, a makeshift memorial containing flowers, U.S. flags and messages could be seen outside Eagles Lodge on Friday.
“There wasn't a thing he wouldn’t do for anybody," Belton’s friend Linda Herde told KHQ of Spokane. "He’d give you the shirt off his back."
"He was so awesome," friend Lillian Duncan told the Spokesman-Review. "Anybody that didn't get to know him missed out on a wonderful angel in their life."
Police said they were looking for two suspects, described as “young African American males of average build” between the ages of 16 and 19. Security camera footage of the two suspects was released to the media.
One suspect has been arrested. The other remains at large.
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