Police offer $5,000 for leads in homicide

Huntington Beach police are offering a $5,000 reward to find the suspect who shot and killed a 43-year-old man in May.

Police at about 11 p.m. May 10 responded to reports of someone yelling and setting off firecrackers near Memphis Avenue and Alabama Street, Huntington Beach police officials said.

Officers responded and could not find anything unusual, police said.

A resident called at about 8:30 the following morning to report a suspicious man found in the alleyway in the 300 block of Memphis Avenue, police said.

As officers were investigating that call, they found the body of a man who had been shot multiple times.

Police identified the man as Tyrrell Louis Rathbun, 43. Rathbun went by the nickname “T-Rex”.

Rathbun was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and grey athletic shorts with blue trim. Police said he had a black beach cruiser with a blue seat and a heavy-duty orange extension cord wrapped around a spool.

An Orange County Coroner’s report showed the time of death coincided with the firework call police responded to the night before Rathbun’s body was found.

Detectives investigated and determined Rathbun was a homeless man living in several places around the city, including near where his body was found.

Police said it has been a challenge to construct a timeline of Rathbun’s last days given his transient lifestyle. Detectives believe cultivating these details could help the investigation, police said.

The department is partnering with Orange County Crime Stoppers to offer the $5,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.

Click here to see the Crime Stoppers flier for more reward details.

Anyone with information could be eligible for a reward, even if you wish to remain anonymous.  If you have information, you may remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “OCCS.”