Main Beach homicide investigation continues in Santa Cruz
Investigators are still trying to figure out how a homeless man was killed on Main Beach in Santa Cruz on Sunday morning.
52-year-old Steven Lee was found dead by the volleyball nets near the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. According to police, Lee was no stranger to the suspect, 58-year-old Kevin Callahan, who was arrested near the scene and charged with homicide. The two got into a fight earlier in the evening, police said.
“In this particular incident these two individuals were known to each other,” said Joyce Blaschke with Santa Cruz Police. “This altercation was very specific to the two of them.”
Over at city hall, City Manager Scott Collins is reassuring the community that local beaches are safe and anyone with information should call police. He added that incidents like this aren’t common in Santa Cruz.
“It’s important for the community to know that the general public was not at any point in danger because of this incident, it was completely isolated and that’s typically how they occur here,” said Collins. “We have very few homicides each year, but when they do happen it’s a big deal.”
The city is working to keep the community safe while looking to other cities for ideas to help tackle violent crime and homelessness.
“It’s on the city, the county, and all of our partners to come together and figure out solutions,” said Collins.
The details surrounding Lee’s death are still unclear. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is working on an autopsy within the next few days, when those results come back it’ll give homicide investigators a better idea of how things unfolded.
