Torrance resident presented with Congressional Gold Medal
Tuskegee Airman honored at City Hall
On Tuesday, Torrance resident and surviving Tuskegee Airman Walter Crenshaw, who is 102 years old, was presented with a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal at Torrance City Hall in commemoration of the sacrifices he and the other original Tuskegee Airmen made in defense of the nation in World War II.
The original medal was presented to the Tuskegee Airmen by former President George W. Bush in 2007, and is on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute. Because Crenshaw was not able to attend that ceremony, the city of Torrance took this opportunity to honor him.
Inducted into the United States Army Air Corps in 1942, Crenshaw attained the rank of sergeant and served in the Airmen’s administrative offices.
COMPTON, Calif. — Former Compton Fire Department Deputy Chief Marcel Melanson is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on grand theft and arson charges related to a fire at the department’s headquarters.
Melanson is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of Motorola radios, selling them online and intentionally setting the Dec. 11, 2011 fire to destroy evidence of the thefts, Steve Whitmore of the sheriff’s department said.
Chris Wright was playing professional basketball in Turkey last year, working toward achieving his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA, when something strange happened at the end of practice.
“I’m running sprints, just normal sprints, and I run and touch the baseline, go back and my foot gives out,” said Wright, now 23.
“I just thought I slipped or something like that. But I noticed my foot started getting numb and it just got progressively worse.”
TORRANCE, Calif.—A coroner's official today released the names of a husband and wife, both in their 70s, who died in a murder-suicide inside the woman's room at a Torrance hospital.
They were Marlow Hugo Galbraith, 75, and Joanna Sue Galbraith, 74, both of Torrance, said Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Joe Bale.
TORRANCE, Calif.—Three people were fatally shot today in a high-rise senior citizen complex in Torrance in what police said was a double murder and suicide.
The shooting occurred shortly after noon in Golden West Tower at 3510 Maricopa St., Torrance police Sgt. Robert Watt said.
Police said “elderly man” fatally shot a man and a woman, then killed himself, Watt said. Their names were not immediately available.
What motivated the killings was not immediately known.
LAWNDALE, Calif.—A 21-year-old man who allegedly stole a pickup truck in Lawndale with a 2-year-old boy inside was behind bars today, and the toddler was safely back with his family.
The boy's 42-year-old father had just strapped the child into the truck when he returned to his apartment near 173rd Street and Grevillea Avenue at 2:48 p.m. Monday to get a diaper bag he had left behind, said Sgt. Paul Schuerger of the Los Angeles County sheriff's South Los Angeles Station.
