When Sacramento County sheriff's deputies pulled into the Monte Bello apartment complex Tuesday morning, they found 18-year-old Daniel Cartwright waiting for them.

He identified himself as the person who called 911, according to authorities - the caller who summoned deputies to the Rosemont complex on South Watt Avenue by saying he had shot his father.

In a nearby apartment unit, deputies found the body of Cartwright's 40-year-old father, Richard Allen Cartwright, with a single gunshot wound, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. They also found a gun they suspect was used in the shooting.

By day's end, detectives had a victim, a suspect and even a weapon. What they lacked was a motive.

Deputies booked Cartwright into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of murder.

The case began to unfold shortly after 10:30 a.m., when dispatchers received a call from a man reporting he had shot his father, Ramos said.

When deputies arrived, they found Cartwright and detained him, Ramos said. As he sat in the back of a patrol car, word of the crime slowly began to spread among Monte Bello residents, some of whom lingered at the scene.

Soon, a woman arrived screaming in grief. As deputies deflected her from the direction of the apartment, a neighbor tried to comfort her and ushered her into the complex office.

Her wails could still be heard outside.

"Man," Ivory Banks lamented, shaking his head as his 79-year-old mother sat inside the building with the hysterical woman. "Why here?"

Ramos said the preliminary investigation by detectives indicated that the shooting occurred several hours before the 911 call was placed. The reason for the delay, however, was not known, he said.

The motive for the crime also remained elusive.

Cartwright, who turned 18 on Friday, is a senior at Rosemont High School, according to his Facebook page.

The page reflects some interests typical of a teen - sports, Metallica, Taco Bell and the "Call of Duty" video game series.

It also indicates that Cartwright identifies himself as a "juggalo" - a name given to fans of the horror-themed rap group Insane Clown Posse and its label, Psychopathic Records. Under employers, he lists "Carnival of Carnage," one of Insane Clown Posse's albums; other references to the group can be found throughout the page.

Banks, the Monte Bello resident, said he did not know the family. He hadn't heard any gunfire that morning or any other trouble. The complex, as it was Tuesday morning, is generally quiet, he said.

"This is a cool place to stay in, but you never know what people will do," said Banks, 56.

His mother, 79-year-old Sara Banks, emerged from the complex office, where she had been consoling the victim's loved one, with weepy eyes.

She didn't know the woman, she said, but her heart ached for her.

"I just want to be there to help somebody," she said.

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