Youth, 16, Arrested in Homeless Man’s Death
A 16-year-old Van Nuys youth was arrested Thursday in the shooting death of a homeless man, police said.
William Andrews, 45, was fatally shot several times in the upper torso on Sept. 21 near his makeshift shelter in an alley in the 6600 block of Hayvenhurst Avenue in Van Nuys, Los Angeles Police Detective James Vojtecky said.
The location is frequented by gang members and drug dealers, but Andrews was an innocent bystander who picked the wrong spot to sleep near some dumpsters, Vojtecky said. He said the motive for the shooting was “gang and drug related,” but declined to reveal details.
The youth was arrested at his mother’s apartment after investigators received a tip Monday, Vojtecky said. The teen-ager was being held in San Fernando Juvenile Hall pending arraignment.
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