It was a typical date night in Long Beach for Jake Stone and his boyfriend Christopher Finley.

The pair met up for dinner in Downtown Friday evening, and before the night ended, they stopped for their usual nightcap at the Mineshaft, a well-known LGBTQ bar near their home. They knew the staff well and had been frequenting the business for the five years that they’ve lived here, Stone said in a written interview with the Post.

They had a drink and took some cozy pictures in the photo booth, but on their way out, their perfect date night turned into a nightmare.

Shortly after 11:30 p.m., as Stone and Finley were outside the bar at 1720 E. Broadway, a series of events unfolded that ended with Stone seriously wounded and Finley dead.

In front of the Mineshaft, a fight began. The couple was in a short altercation with a man reportedly armed with a Taser, according to police.

Stone said a man was threatening people with a Taser, but he managed to kick it away, and another man jumped on top of the assailant.

Shortly after, another man, who police identified as Michael J. Smalls, rode up on a bicycle and began stabbing Finley, Stone said. Police described this as a second altercation that took place moments after the Taser incident, but Stone took issue with their description, saying “There was no altercation,” just an apparently random stabbing. Stone said he was wounded trying to intervene and protect his partner.

The attacker rode off, police said, and Stone and Finley were rushed to the hospital where Finley died the next day. He was 28.

Monday evening, police made an arrest in the case, taking 56-year-old Smalls into custody at his Fourth Street apartment, just a mile away from the Mineshaft, jail records show. He’s now behind bars on suspicion of murder, but it’s still unclear what may have prompted the alleged attack, although police said there was no evidence it was a hate crime or motivated by bias.

Regardless of any motive, Stone is now left mourning.

“Chris was my other half,” he said. “Neither of us knew life without each other. He was the love of my life, my soulmate. I’m currently recovering at our home and have a few months of recovery ahead of me.”

The pair met through a mutual friend in 2016 and had been inseparable ever since, according to Stone.

“There was nobody like him,” he said.

Christopher Finley, 28, was a talented makeup artist and loving cat dad, according to his boyfriend Jake Stone. Photo courtesy of Danika Cervantes.

Finley was a talented makeup artist and lit up any set he stepped foot on with infectious joy and laughter. He was also the loving cat dad to their three Sphynx: Pugsley, Goob and Wednesday.

In his six years of experience as a makeup artist, he had worked with popular artists on music videos and various photo and video shoots.

“His career was so important to him. His dedication was inspiring,” said Danika Cervantes, one of Finley’s close friends.

Cervantes and Finley met in 2015 and he quickly became like family, she said. “He made us all feel special, important. He taught us all how to be unapologetically ourselves. … Chris’ heart was home for so many people.”

Cervantes set up a GoFundMe page in Finley’s honor to help with medical bills and funeral costs. As of Monday, the page has raised $29,609 of its $50,000 goal.

Smalls has not yet been charged with the crime, and it’s unclear if he’s retained an attorney. Detectives expect to forward the case to the District Attorney’s Office this week. He’s being held on $2 million bail.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information from Stone describing the attack.

Police identify man killed outside Mineshaft bar as 28-year-old Long Beach resident