Long Beach police have arrested 54-year-old Will Moses Palmer on suspicion of murder in connection with a shooting that killed a Compton man and wounded two others in January 2025. Detectives located and arrested Palmer, who is from Long Beach, in the 3100 block of East Willow Street on Tuesday. His bail was set at $4 million.
According to MyNewsLA.com, the arrest came after Long Beach Police Department Special Investigation Division detectives tracked Palmer down nearly two years after the shooting.
Shots Fired on Coachella Avenue
The case dates back to Jan. 19, 2025, when Long Beach police officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 6800 block of Coachella Avenue. Officers found three men who had been shot at the scene, and Long Beach Fire Department personnel transported the victims to a hospital, per the same account from MyNewsLA.com.
One of the men, identified by police as 55-year-old Tyrant Otee Walker of Compton, died at the hospital from his injuries, as reported by Long Beach Post. A second victim remained in critical but stable condition, while a third was treated and released from the hospital after receiving treatment, according to police.
Investigators Point to Possible Gang Connection
The shooting was investigated as possibly gang-related, with investigators telling the Long Beach Post that they believed the attack was tied to gang activity, though the motive and full circumstances remained under investigation. The outlet's reporting, corroborated by the Press-Telegram, placed the shooting scene in the same stretch of Coachella Avenue where officers first responded.
Shootings Trending Down Citywide
The arrest comes as Long Beach has seen an overall decline in gun violence. The city logged 133 shootings in the first half of 2025, down from 188 during the same period the year before and below the five-year average of 187, per the Long Beach Post's review of crime statistics. Murders dropped nearly 28%, from 18 to 13, over that same stretch.
Police also seized 585 firearms in the first half of 2025, 119 more than during the same period in 2024, the Post reported. Overall violent crime citywide was essentially flat, down just 0.1% through the end of June, even as aggravated assaults climbed 9.4%. The North Division, which covers most of North Long Beach, was the only section of the city to see homicides rise during that period, climbing from four to six.
Anyone with information on the January 2025 shooting is urged to contact Long Beach police homicide detectives Leticia Gamboa or Oscar Valenzuela at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.
