Suspect Sought In Mysterious Slaying Of Father In Long Beach Park
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – Authorities Wednesday released a sketch of a suspect wanted in the mysterious shooting death of a 57-year-old father in Long Beach back in July.
Fred Taft, a truck driver, was shot to death in a public restroom at Pan American Park while attending a family reunion on the afternoon of July 21. The suspect, believed to be a white man in his 50s, fled on foot.
Long Beach police investigators still have no motive in Taft's killing.
A few days after the slaying, Taft's only daughter, Corie Taft, told CBS2 that a local softball coach had approached her family following the shooting and informed them that his players had been harassed at the park due to their race. Taft is black. However, investigators have not provided any indication or evidence that Taft's shooting may have been a hate crime.
The suspect is described as white, in his 50s, about 6 feet tall with a medium build. At the time of the killing he was wearing a hat, a dark shirt and light shorts.
A $30,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information should call detectives Michael Hubbard and Adrian Garcia at 562-570-7244, or L.A. Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
