A body with a gunshot wound was discovered this morning in a vehicle found along the 605 Freeway on the border of Long Beach and Hawaiian Gardens, according to authorities.

The discovery was made at 5:14 a.m. on the northbound 605 Freeway just south of  Carson Street, California Highway Patrol Officer Tony Polizzi told City News Service.

CHP spokesman Marcos Iñiguez said an officer pulled over to check on the status of the diver when he found him slumped over to the right with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The officer also located a firearm in the vehicle. He went in the car to secure the firearm and called for backup, Iñiguez said.

The victim was described as a 50-year-old man. Investigators are still not sure why the man had a gunshot wound and the incident is being investigated as a homicide until that possibility is ruled out, which could end with the death being ruled a suicide, Iñiguez said.

Aerial footage broadcast from the scene showed several CHP cruisers around a white SUV on the shoulder of the freeway.

The CHP issued a SigAlert at 5:48 a.m., shutting down the two right lanes of the freeway for the investigation.

Iñiguez said officers also closed off the northbound 605 Freeway ramp near east Spring Street while the investigation took place.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with more information from the CHP.