Murder Charge Filed in Danville Student's Death

A 19-year-old Oakland man was charged today with the murder of Rylan Fuchs, a 17-year-old Danville boy who was shot on his front porch in January, prosecutor Harold Jewett said.
     
Walter Bell, 19, was arrested Wednesday and charged today with murder, robbery and the special-circumstance allegation that he killed Fuchs in the commission of a robbery, Jewett said.

Danville police said Fuchs was shot at about 9:15 p.m. on Jan. 20 as he stood on the front porch of his family's home in the 1000 block of El Capitan Drive.

Investigators from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office took Bell into custody Wednesday after he was released from Alameda County jail, where he was being held on an unrelated robbery charge.

According to Jewett, Fuchs had agreed to meet Bell on the night of the shooting to sell him a "fairly sizable amount of marijuana."

But when Bell approached Fuchs' house, Jewett said, he was allegedly holding a gun and attempted to scare Fuchs into giving up the marijuana without payment.

"According to Bell, the gun accidentally discharged and he and his cohorts ran away," Jewett said.

Fuchs, a senior at San Ramon Valley High School, was taken to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he died the next morning, police  said.

Jewett said he couldn't discuss how many people are believed to have been with Bell during the alleged robbery and shooting because it is an ongoing investigation.

Shortly after the shooting, police said they had arrested a 15-year-old Oakland boy. Jewett said that the boy is still being investigated in connection with the robbery.

Bay City News

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