2 HELD AFTER TEEN DIES OF GUNSHOT

L.B.: Victim Allegedly Involved In Burglary; His Accomplice, Gunman Arrested

BELLFLOWER - A 15-year-old boy who was allegedly breaking into a
backyard shed containing marijuana was shot to death Sunday morning,
authorities said.

The boy was identified as Jacob Walker of Paramount, said Sgt. Diane
Hecht of the Sheriff's Department Headquarters Bureau.

Detectives have arrested the homeowner and alleged gunman, Jerry
Cress, 57, as well as Walker's alleged accomplice, Duane Berry, 24,
of Paramount, on suspicion of murder.

Berry was arrested because the shooting happened during the
commission of a felony, said Hecht.

Lt. Al Grotefend told KCAL9 that Cress has stage three liver cancer
and a prescription for medical marijuana. Cress told Grotefend that
he was growing 15 marijuana plants in his shed and alleged that the
men were trying to steal them.

Lakewood sheriff's deputies responded to a 6:26 a.m. burglary call at
a house on the 8500 block of Park Street near the Artesia (91)
Freeway, said Deputy Anthony Moore.

Cress told arriving deputies he saw two black males breaking into a
shed behind his home, Moore said.

Cress said he confronted the two men and saw that one of them was
armed with a hammer, the deputy said.

Cress said he feared for his safety and shot three rounds at the men
with a pellet gun, hitting one of them in the upper torso, Moore said.

The two men fled on foot, Cress said.

Walker, who was shot in the upper torso, turned up at a local
hospital and later died of his injuries, Hecht said.

It is still not clear whether the pellet gun was actually the weapon
that killed Walker, Hecht said.

Detectives believe Walker was one of the men involved in the
burglary, Hecht said. Berry is believed to be Walker's brother, she added.

Berry was arrested on suspicion of murder because the shooting
occurred while Berry and Walker were allegedly in the act of
committing a felony burglary, Hecht said.

"When the partner, the person he's with, is murdered, you're
considered culpable," Hecht said.

Both Berry and Cress are being held without bail at the Lakewood
Sheriff's Station, Hecht said.

Detectives are continuing their investigation and the case will be
turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office to
determine what charges, if any, will be brought, Moore said.