Fifteen-year-old shot and killed buying cell phone in Long Beach: Police

Vigil held for teen shot dead while trying to buy a cell phone

A vigil was held Sunday for 15-year-old Joshua Simmons Sunday. Simmons was shot and killed after meeting up with a man he planned to buy a cell phone from.

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy over a cellphone transaction that went tragically awry, authorities said Saturday.

The boy was identified as Joshua Simmons of Long Beach, the Long Beach Police Department reported.

At approximately 9:25 p.m. Friday, police were called to a public housing complex in the 1000 block of East Via Wanda between Orange and Atlantic avenues, Officer Brandon Fahey told City News Service.

They found Simmons on a basketball court suffering from gunshots wounds to the upper body, Fahey said. Paramedics were called to the complex but Simmons died at the scene.

Police later learned that Simmons had arranged to buy a cellphone from someone through an online marketplace application and was to meet him at the crime scene location. During the transaction, a fight occurred, which escalated into the fatal shooting, police said.

Detectives determined that Jose Bustamante Cardenas, 24, of Los Angeles, was the suspect responsible for the shooting, police said.

Cardenas was arrested on suspicion of murder and a firearm allegedly was taken from his possession. He was booked at the Long Beach City Jail, where he was being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

Long Beach police homicide detectives urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to call them at 562-570-7244 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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