This story has been sent in by a number of contributors but all had copyrights ‘do not republish’ on them. I have found this most recent account.
A suspect in the brutal beating of a World War II veteran who later died from his injuries has been arrested, as police in Spokane, Washington continue to search for a second attacker.
Police confirmed the arrest but did not identify the suspect accused in the Wednesday parking lot attack.
Authorities continue to search for another suspect who is described as an African-American male between the ages of 16 and 19.
The Spokane Police Department says in a press release officers responded to reports of an assault Wednesday and found the victim, 88-year-old Delbert Belton, in his car with serious head injuries. He died Thursday in the hospital.
Friends identified Belton, and say he was sitting outside a lodge for the Fraternal Order of the Eagles when he was attacked.
KXLY-TV reports that Belton served in the Army during World War II and was shot in the leg during the Battle for Okinawa.
“He was a tough old bird, I’ll tell you that,” Ted Denison, Belton’s friend for 23 years told the Spokesman-Review.
The station says he went on to work for Kaiser Aluminum for 30 years. Friends say he was known as “Shorty,” and enjoyed playing pool and working on cars. His wife passed away several years ago.
“He was just such a nice person for God’s sake. I don’t think Shorty had a mean bone in his body,” friend Betty told KXLY-TV.com.
“It does appear random. He was in the parking lot, it appears he was assaulted in the parking lot and there was no indication that he would have known these people prior to the assault,” Spokane Police Major Crimes Detective Lieutenant Mark Griffiths told the station.
Belton’s daughter-in-law said the suspects used flashlights during the attack. “The doctors said he was bleeding from all parts of his face,” Bobbie Belton told CBS Seattle.
Denison told KXLY-TV he cannot comprehend how someone could have carried out such an attack. “I thought of him more as a dad than I did a friend really,” Denison said.
“He was always there for me when I needed him,” Denison said. “We’d joke back and forth. We were always having fun, some sort of fun.”
“I don’t understand how somebody could do this. I really don’t,” he told the station.
“Anybody that didn’t get to know him missed out on a wonderful angel in their life,” Lillian Duncan told the Spokesman-Review.
The Spokane Police Department is asking anyone with information to call their hotline at 456-2233.
Click for more from the Spokesman-Review.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
I do my best not to judge people on their skin color. It is getting harder by the day. My 14 year old daughter was asking me about this story today and asking alot of questions about how not to be considered racist when these things happen so much. I had to tell her that it is ok to pre-judge when it comes to your safety and that there are alot of white punk ass POSes out there that would do the same. That is the best I could do.
I know the coming racial troubles are engineered to keep us fighting each other, but that wont make them any less real when it happens.
You can bet your ass if some white boys attacked an old black man it would be all the news and considered racist in nature. But this shit happens everyday all over America in every city in every school at every event held black people acting like fools doing their best to intimidate white people verbally threatening them attacking them destroying their property and so on and not a damn word about racism on their part!
Like nearly all White Americans, this elderly man was murdered because HE WAS UNARMED! Even though in his later years, and not as spry as in his youth — he was capable of firing (perhaps even several times) a .22 LR from a small revolver into the face of one of Dr. Huxtable’s cannibals, saving his life. But alas…
Well, I’m just dumb-founded, where is Obummer and his co-horts piping in crakers to riot and protest over this obviously racially motivated crime??
As defined by Websters: Definition of DISCRIMINATE
Take note of the second 1-b
transitive verb
1
a : to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of
b : distinguish, differentiate
2
: to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences; especially : to distinguish from another like object
intransitive verb
1
a : to make a distinction
b : to use good judgment
2
: to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit