On October 22, 2023, at about 2:34 p.m., officers responded to reports of a gunshot victim near 14th Street and Long Beach Boulevard and found 33-year-old Thomas Ferguson of Fontana lying near 14th Street and Palmer Court with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was given medical aid and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. Investigators say the shooting began after an altercation inside 14th Street Park; the shooter fled before officers arrived and it was initially unclear whether Ferguson knew the assailant. Detectives believed multiple people were present in or near the park and asked the public for help. Homicide detectives identified 23-year-old Long Beach resident Joseph Ballard as the suspect; detectives presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney on February 7, 2024, which resulted in an arrest warrant for murder. Ballard was transported from state prison and booked on the warrant on March 18, 2024, and was scheduled for arraignment that week. Anyone with information is asked to contact Homicide Detectives Jesus Espinoza or Alfredo Chairez at (562) 570-7244.

Did anyone who was in or near 14th Street Park that afternoon see something that could help investigators?