Police say a 30-year-old man was shot to death Saturday afternoon after an argument at a homeless encampment in a vacant building on Long Beach Boulevard.
Police said they are still searching for a suspect and trying to determine an exact motive, but detectives believe the shooting may be gang-related, which they define as any crime “committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang.”
Officers learned of the shooting around 2:05 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Long Beach Boulevard and 14th Street, police said. When officers arrived, they found a wounded man inside the vacant building and “began performing life-saving measures” until medics arrived and determined the man was dead, according to a statement from the LBPD.
Police identified him as Eduardo Alonso. It’s unclear if he was living in the vacant building, but police said he was “experiencing homelessness,” and the vacant building “appeared to have been converted into an encampment by persons experiencing homelessness.”
The shooter or shooters fled before officers arrived. They were last seen headed southbound in an alley behind the building, police said. A detailed description was not immediately available.
Police asked that anyone with information contact detectives Sean Magee or Juan Carlos Reyes at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS, downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
Violent crime rose almost 8% in Long Beach last year, police say