LAKE COUNTY >> A $5,000 award is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the murder of Christopher Way in Lucerne.
Way, 51, was shot April 22 at about 10:40 p.m. by an unidentified man on 12th Avenue. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to an out-of-county hospital.
The suspect, described as a 40 to 50 year old white male with short hair and wearing a black jacket and dark jeans, ran toward the Highway 20 Tower Mart after the shooting, supposedly carrying a handgun.
The Lake County Sheriff”s Office Major Crimes Unit and crime scene investigators responded to the scene but were unable to locate the suspect. A Nixle alert about the shooting was not issued until more than 24 hours after the incident.
The Sheriff”s Office requested the reward be offered at the Tuesday morning Board of Supervisors meeting, stating it had exhausted all investigative leads.
“Offering a reward has the potential of saving the county money by saving investigator time in this case,” the board”s agenda item read, apparently emphasizing the need for such a measure.
According to LCSO Captain Chris Macedo, the homicide is the office”s only current unsolved case.
Freshly-sworn in Sheriff Brian Martin commented on the offering of a reward, noting it was not only for the victim, but also in the interest of the community to find the murderer.
The board unanimously approved the issuance of the award, which will come out of the LCSO”s funds.
To receive the award, information must lead to both the arrest and conviction of a suspect.
The last time the Sheriff”s Office offered an award for information was during its search for the murderer of Forrest Seagrave, a Kelseyville store clerk killed in an armed robbery in January 2013.
