A man died after being shot in a North Long Beach neighborhood Monday, and two nearby schools were locked down while police scoured for evidence and checked to make sure students were safe, according to police and the school district.
Police said the deadly shooting happened around 11:30 a.m. at 51st Street and Pacific Avenue. The man wounded by the gunfire managed to drive himself to a nearby hospital where he died, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
He has not been publicly identified and police said they are still investigating a motive and trying to gather suspect information.
A block away from the shooting scene, Perry Lindsey Academy and Dooley Elementary School both locked down as a large number of officers responded to the scene.
The lockdowns were lifted around 1 p.m., but parents said they were frustrated by a lack of information. Dozens of parents gathered outside of Lindsey Academy and many said they found out about the lockdown from their children inside the school who said there was a shooting in the area and all students were sheltered inside the cafeteria.
The district sent an email to Lindsey Academy parents at 12:57 p.m. that said the school was locked down “due to police activity in the surrounding neighborhood.” And Elvia Cano, a spokesperson for LBUSD, said “gun shots heard and police activity in the surrounding neighborhood” triggered the precaution.
Cano added that the LBPD and school safety officers walked the Lindsey Academy campus to “ensure the safety of the entire school community.”
Around 1:15 p.m. parents were also lined up at Dooley Elementary School one block away to pick up their children.
Israel Melendez was picking up his son from first grade and said he was informed of the lockdown and shooting by his sixth-grade son who attends Lindsey Academy. Melendez got a call from his son around 11:50 a.m. who told him about the shooting near the school.
Rosa Mejia, a Lindsey Academy parent, also found out about the lockdown from her son who told her he saw police in the area and was locked inside the cafeteria.
Her son and daughter, who are in sixth and seventh grade said they were scared.
Sophia Vasquez, who is in sixth grade, said all students were locked down in the cafeteria before moving to the auditorium.
“They (school faculty) were telling us to not panic, don’t be afraid,” said Vasquez, who spoke to the Post with her mother’s consent. “They just told us to keep our heads down and be quiet.”
More details about the shooting weren’t immediately available.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with more information from police.