Suspect arrested in April 15 shooting death of 15-year-old Male

LONG BEACH, CA – On Apr. 15, 2022, at approximately 9:27 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Via Wanda regarding a shots call, which resulted in the death of a 15-year-old male victim.

Upon arrival, officers located the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. The initial responding officers rendered aid until the arrival of the Long Beach Fire Department personnel, who ultimately determined the victim to be deceased at the scene.

During the investigation, a male adult subject contacted police and admitted his involvement in the shooting death of the victim. Detectives located the subject in Long Beach and detained him pending further investigation.

Through their preliminary investigation, Homicide detectives discovered the victim arranged to purchase a cellular phone from the subject through an online mobile marketplace application and met him at the crime scene location. During the transaction, an altercation occurred that escalated to the fatal shooting.

The victim has been identified as 15-year-old Joshua Simmons of Long Beach.

Through their investigation, detectives determined the subject, Jose Bustamante Cardenas, a 24-year-old resident of the City of Los Angeles, as the suspect responsible for the murder. Detectives subsequently arrested him and seized a firearm from his possession. Cardenas was booked at the Long Beach City Jail for one count of murder and is currently being held on $2,000,000 bail. Detectives anticipate presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office later this week for filing consideration.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Michael Hubbard or Jesus Espinoza at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org