Police release sketch of possible gunman in 1975 killing of Long Beach officer

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Long Beach Police Officer Michael Brown holds easels showing evidence and a photo of Officer Franke Neal Lewis, whose 1975 slaying remains unsolved. The department announced a reward for information of at least $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Relatives and friends of Lewis attend the news conference. City officials hope to boost the reward to $75,000.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A photo shows where Lewis was fatally shot while trying to help a man who was being beaten.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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Long Beach investigators were recently able to uncover descriptions of two suspicious vehicles that had been spotted in Lewis’ neighborhood the night of the shooting.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

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A photo of Lewis, who was 28 at the time of his slaying. He was one of three Long Beach police officers shot and killed during a 77-day span, but his death is the only one that remains unsolved.

(Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

By James QueallyStaff Writer

Nov. 9, 2015 3:47 PM PT

Following a flood of anonymous tips and a recent round of interviews in a nearby town, Long Beach police believe they have come up with a description of the man who shot and killed a city police officer in 1975.

The department has been investigating the slaying of Officer Franke Neal Lewis for four decades, but the investigation has repeatedly stalled. Lewis was shot and killed near his home on Dec. 13, 1975, while trying to rescue another man from an assault.

Lewis’ gun and badge were stolen, and the assault victim has been unable to give police a description of the shooter.

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Last week, Long Beach police announced a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of Lewis’ killer, and began canvassing the Compton neighborhood where his badge was recovered in 1976, months after the shooting.

Since then, investigators have interviewed witnesses in Compton who said a teenager known as “Bobby” may have bragged about killing a police officer around the time Lewis was gunned down, the department said in a news release issued Monday.

“Bobby,” who would have been 17 at the time, did not mention the time or place that the shooting occurred, police said. The suspect was described as an African American male with black hair and a medium build, and was believed to have lived in Central Long Beach at the time.

Investigators released a sketch Monday of what “Bobby” might have looked like in 1975.

A person of interest, known only as “Spider,” may have been with “Bobby” when the shooting took place. Police described “Spider” as an African American woman who was between the ages of 18 and 20 in 1975.

Police have also said a mid-1970s blue four-door Cadillac Fleetwood and an early 1960s white four-door Cadillac Fleetwood were spotted in the area on the night Lewis was killed. Witnesses told police the occupants of each vehicle did not live in the neighborhood, and investigators said Monday that it is possible “Bobby” was driving one of those cars.

Lewis was married with two young children.

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