Police say an argument escalated into a deadly shooting near Lincoln Park in Downtown Long Beach on Saturday afternoon.
The gunfire was reported around 5:50 p.m. on Cedar Walk, which is just across Ocean Boulevard from the park, according to a statement from the Long Beach Police Department.
When officers got to the scene, they found a man with gunshot wounds. “Long Beach Fire Department personnel responded and transported the victim to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries,” police said.
Police said that their “preliminary investigation suggests the victim and a suspect(s) were engaged in a verbal dispute” before the shooting, but more details about what sparked the argument weren’t available.
Officers appeared to detain at least one person as a heavy police presence descended upon the area, which was crowded with people attending the Long Beach Grand Prix. Police, however, have not announced any arrests.
No suspect description was available. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim while they work to notify his family.
This is not the first time there’s been a shooting outside the Grand Prix, one of the biggest events in Long Beach every year. In 2023, police shot and wounded a man who was suspected of firing — apparently at random — at several innocent bystanders.