An 88 year old WWII veteran was beat to death in Spokane, Washington. Police in Spokane have arrested the male suspect and charged him with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery.
The WWII veteran was Delbert Belton, who was brutally beaten and left for dead. He was found outside of a lounge where he normally played pool. The teens seemed to have randomly picked a target according to authorities.
88 year old Belton took a bullet in the leg during the battle of Okinawa according to CNN. He was affectionately called ‘shorty’ by his friends. He was found with serious head injuries and he died this Thursday after he was attacked.
Police in Spokane have commented that the beating appears random. Lt. Mark Griffiths commented, “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.”
A close friend of Delbert Belton, Ted Denison, told CNN, “It’s really depressing, seems all there is is bad news.” Denison met his friend more than two decades before as they both worked on cars. “We were mechanic buddies, we just kind of kicked right along.”
Police have used K-9 dogs to search in the area and according to the police reports, witnesses described the attackers as ‘young African American males of average build.’
Friends and family will mourn the WWII veteran as friends comment, “He was so awesome, anybody that didn’t get to know him missed out on a wonderful angel in their life.”