Man Held Without Bail in Pacoima Killing

A Pacoima man was arrested Friday in the death of a man who was shot during an apparent argument over drugs, Los Angeles police said.

Michael Nathaniel Thomas, 23, was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being held without bail, Detective Al Ferrand said. Thomas is suspected of shooting Billy Warren Sanders, 35, of Lake View Terrace, on Sunday, Ferrand said.

Sanders was found at 5 a.m. behind an apartment building at Borden Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard, a spot frequented by narcotics users and dealers, Ferrand said. Sanders, who had been shot in the stomach, died about 12 hours later at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

There were no witnesses, but through evidence at the scene and statements from informants and nearby residents familiar with the activities behind the apartment building, Thomas became a suspect. He was taken into custody Friday morning.

Ferrand said the shooting was apparently drug-related. He did not elaborate. No gun was recovered, and Thomas has denied taking part in the slaying, the detective said.