EUCLID, Ohio — A traffic stop in Pennsylvania led investigators to find a homicide victim in Northeast Ohio. A 14-year-old boy is in custody after a 71-year-old man was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in Euclid over the weekend.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, troopers pulled over a 14-year-old boy for several traffic violations Saturday morning on I-80 in Mercer County, PA. They found a gun in the vehicle and asked Euclid Police to conduct a welfare check on the vehicle's owner, 71-year-old Larry Anderson.
When no one answered the door at the E. 245th St. home in Euclid, officers went inside and found Anderson dead from an apparent gunshot wound.
“It was heartbreaking because it was like a good neighbor, but also like a good brother you’ve lost,” said neighbor John Oldwine.
Oldwine told News 5 Anderson was the first person he met when he moved into the neighborhood a year earlier, and he was typically the first person to lend a hand.
“He was a good dude. You would see him out here doing yard work. You would see him helping the neighbors up and down the street,” he explained. “When we had the snowstorm on MLK Day, he was out here with the snowblower helping neighbors dig out, helping me dig out the street.”
He said neighbors were shocked to hear of Anderson's death and his loss will be felt by the neighborhood.
“It shouldn’t have happened," said Oldwine. “You need a man like Mr. Anderson on every street. He was a good man and a hell of a neighbor.”
Investigators said it's unclear how or if the 14-year-old boy knew Anderson. The teen is in custody in Pennsylvania, awaiting extradition to Ohio to face charges.
