Murder Probe Travels from Phoenix to San Bernardino

On Tuesday night, an 84-year-old man was found slain inside his real estate office in Phoenix, Ariz.

Irving Shuman

Irving Shuman, described as "a giant" in Phoenix's Jewish community, was known for his mentorship, civic ties and as being the first season ticket holder -- in 1968 -- for the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

Media in Arizona have covered the story intensely; including the state's largest newspaper, The Arizona Republic. In one of their stories, friends of the victim who are quoted include the Suns' owner and a senator.

"He made living beneath his means an art form," daughter Dannielle Shuman Heller told the Republic Wednesday. "Even as successful as was, he was recycling, doing solar way before it became fashionable and trendy. He was always using things until they were kaput. The raincoat he wore he had since World War II because he believed it was the right way to live."

Phoenix Police have released very little on what happened to Shuman, and if you're wondering why you're reading about this case on this blog, it comes back to a discovery by a San Bernardino police officer early Thursday morning.

Shuman's gold 1998 Lexus GS300 sedan, with Arizona vanity plates of "GAMMAGE," had been entered in a national Department of Justice database following his killing, flagged for any officer who may come across it.

It was spotted at 1 a.m. Thursday on San Bernardino's Westside. Although police in both San Bernardino and Phoenix aren't providing specifics, the car attempted to flee a traffic stop and crashed after a short pursuit. The passenger was arrested there, while the driver was tracked a short time later at a nearby motel.

We don't have the names of the people arrested, or if police suspect that they were involved in Shuman's murder. We don't know why they were in San Bernardino, or what their connection to the Westside is.

Phoenix police detectives arrived in San Bernardino within hours of the discovery, and local officers are deferring all questions to them. As of Friday afternoon, the detectives had left San Bernardino and no one had been charged in connection with Shuman's killing, according to Phoenix police Detective Stacie Derge.

We'll post something when we know more.