Friends Say Youth Held in Stepfather’s Death Wasn’t Violent : Oxnard: Acquaintances said they were unaware of animosity between the teen-ager and the dead man. The shooting occurred shortly after the boy’s mother died.

Friends of a 17-year-old Oxnard youth accused of killing his stepfather said violence was out of character for the teen-ager, who was described by his counselor as an agreeable student with ambitions to attend college.

Pat Masterson, who was the teen-ager’s high school counselor for four years, said the youth maintained a 2.5 grade-point average while playing starting running back for the Yellowjackets.

As a senior, he was selected for a special program training students to counsel other troubled students because of his abilities to establish a rapport with them, she said. And the youth had his sights set on one day attending Tennessee State University, Masterson said.

“He was always seemingly a pretty happy young man,” Masterson said. “He was confident in himself, liked school and seemed to enjoy being here.”

Since his graduation in June, the teen-ager has been working full-time as a clerk at the Port Hueneme division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, a friend said.

Former schoolmates said they were unaware of any animosity between the teen-ager and his stepfather.

“I was surprised when I heard about it,” said one teen-ager, who has known the youth accused of the slaying since elementary school. “I didn’t believe it. It just wasn’t something he would do.”

Police say the boy fatally shot Walter Bell, 43, just after 1 p.m. Monday. He was arrested a short time later and is being held in Juvenile Hall.

The shooting occurred less than two hours after the boy’s mother, Regina Lewis, 42, was found dead of a single gunshot wound. Coroner’s officials Tuesday termed her death a suicide, but declined to give details of their investigation because it is connected to the homicide inquiry.

Deputy Coroner Jim Wingate said that Bell and Lewis were on the brink of divorce and that Lewis had been despondent shortly before her death. Lewis’ son apparently blamed his stepfather for his mother’s unhappiness and shot him, Wingate said.

Bell died of two gunshot wounds from the rear, one to his head and one to his back, Wingate said Tuesday.

The youth was Lewis’ only child, Wingate said. Bell had three sons, Vernon, 23; Walter Jr., 21, who both live out of state, and Jason, 18, who lived in Oxnard with his father, Wingate said.

Bell and Lewis were married in February, 1987, but had lived apart for more than three years, according to court documents. Bell filed for divorce from Lewis on Aug. 14, citing irreconcilable differences.

The boy’s friends and school officials, who gathered outside Oxnard High School on Tuesday afternoon, said the teen-ager was not hotheaded and had never expressed hostility toward his stepfather.

“He was just one of the homies,” said one youth, who refused to give his name. “He’d give us rides. He’d go to parties with us. He didn’t cause no trouble.”

The teen-ager was well-known on campus because he was a football player who got a lot of field time, said his coach, Jack Davis. In his senior year, he was third on the team in rushing.

Masterson said Regina Lewis was very involved in her son’s education, often calling to find out how he was doing in class. Others said Lewis was involved in a variety of activities benefiting the black community, including an active membership in the Ventura County NAACP and helping to start a local political action group for African-Americans.

Lewis worked at Armstead & Associates, a Port Hueneme firm that deals in government contracts. Officials there refused Tuesday to give details about her position. Lewis also had a side business as a tax consultant and sold African-American art from an extensive collection that she owned, said Peggy Onakomaiya, an acquaintance.

Bell was a senior staff member at the Frank A. Colston Youth Center in Ventura, a correctional facility for juvenile delinquents. He had been employed there since 1983 and was well-liked by his co-workers, said Frank Woodson, acting director of the county’s Correctional Services Agency.

Woodson said he was not aware that Bell and Lewis were undergoing personal problems. Bell was at work the morning of his death, but asked to leave early to check on his wife, Woodson said. The shooting occurred a short time later just outside of the Oxnard condominium that Lewis shared with her son, police said.