San Diego

A 14-year-old friend of Heston Orlando Thomas, the teen-ager shot to death Saturday in a gang-related incident, was arrested Monday, a San Diego police officer said.

Investigating officers with the gang detail discovered that the bullet that killed the 16-year-old came from a stairwell in an apartment complex behind the spot where Thomas was sitting, Officer Terry Berglund said. Police thought rival gang members had fired at Thomas from a passing vehicle, Berglund said.

“The kid was firing toward the car and one of his shots hit Thomas, his friend,” Berglund said. Thomas, who was sitting on the steps of the apartment building, was killed by the first shot fired from the small-caliber handgun, he said.

The suspect, whose identity has not been released because of his age, was booked on suspicion of murder and taken to Juvenile Hall, Berglund said.

Coroner’s deputies on Sunday identified the dead boy as Thomas Orlando Heston. His name was incorrectly reported as such in The Times Monday.