Long Beach police announced in a Twitter post that they've made an arrest pertaining to the murder of Carina Mancera and her 4-year-old Jennabel Anaya.
On August 6, both the mother and daughter were gunned down by an unknown assailant while they were walking home in a densely populated area by the intersection of Locust Avenue and East 9th Street, in Long Beach. The incident happened at around 10:20 p.m. Luis Anaya, Jennabel's father and Carina's boyfriend, was across the street during the incident. He was also fired upon, but wasn't hit.
In September, Long Beach police released surveillance footage of a man they consider to be a suspect.
Nancy Pratt, public information officer with the Long Beach Police Department, told LAist that the department is not answering questions about what happened just yet. We have not yet confirmed if the suspect they have detained is the same man who was shown on the surveillance footage. A press conference is planned for 1:30 p.m., according to KTLA. We will update with more information as it arrives.
Update [1:50 p.m.]:
The suspect detained by the LBPD has been identified as 22-year-old Brandon Colbert of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has been booked for the murder of Carina Mancera and Jennabel Anaya, as well as the attempted murder of Luis Anaya. His booking photo was posted on the LBPD's Facebook page.
Brandon Colbert booking photo. (Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Police Department)
According to Robert Luna, chief of police at the LBPD, Colbert was detained after DNA evidence had linked him with the scene of the crime. On August 27, Colbert had been arrested by the LAPD for driving a stolen vehicle. Upon being detained, he was swabbed for a DNA sample. This sample was later found to be a match with DNA evidence that had been collected from the Long Beach murder scene. On November 6, custody of Colbert was transferred over to the LBPD. Luna said that a motive for the shooting has yet to be determined, and that it’s still uncertain if the suspect had acted alone. The investigation is still ongoing.
Detectives say that that Colbert had boarded a Greyhound bus in Tulsa on August 3, and that he arrived in L.A. on August 4. Anyone who has been in contact with Colbert is advised to call the LBPD at 562-570-7244.
