Lill Duncan takes a photo of a memorial erected in memory of Delbert Belton, an 88-year-old World War II veteran who died Thursday from his injuries after being beaten at the Eagles Lodge at 6410 N. Lidgerwood St. “He was family to me,” said Duncan, who remembered Belton as a man who was a mentor to her children and grandchildren and a friend to her mother.

UPDATE: Spokane Police announced Friday morning they’ve arrested one juvenile male suspect in connection with the beating death of Delbert Belton. Updates on the arrest can be read here.

ORIGINAL STORY: An 88-year-old man who survived the Battle of Okinawa in World War II died Thursday after police say two teenagers beat him and left him for dead in his parked car.

Delbert Belton, nicknamed “Shorty” by his friends for his 5-foot-tall stature, was waiting for a friend Wednesday night at the Eagles Lodge on 6410 N. Lidgerwood St. Two men approached him in his car at random and beat him, police said. He was found with serious head injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he later died.

“I was going to surprise him last night and show up there, then I got the phone call telling me he was dead at Sacred Heart,” said Ted Denison, a friend of Belton. Read more. Kaitlin Gillespie, SR

Have you ever lost someone you cared about to violence?

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