Police are investigating a shooting in Central Long Beach, south of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, that left a man injured Wednesday afternoon.

The shooting happened sometime around 1:25 p.m. in the area of Long Beach Boulevard and Willow Street. The man appeared to be involved in an argument with the suspect prior to the shooting, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Bill Belvin, a 73-year-old Long Beach resident who witnessed the shooting, told the Post that he was on a Long Beach Transit Route 51 bus, which heads toward Artesia, where the suspect and the man started arguing. Belvin said the man and the suspect eventually got off the bus at the Long Beach Boulevard stop, and that’s when the shooting happened.

Another witness told the Post that the suspect left the bus first and encouraged the victim to join him. The witness said the victim appeared to be trying to talk through the argument, but the suspect pulled out a gun and shot him.

“I was kind of in shock,” Belvin said. “You never see this in public. You only ever see this in the movies.”

The suspect fled before officers arrived to the scene, police said.

The victim was transported by Long Beach Fire Department personnel to a local hospital to treat a gunshot wound to the lower body, police said. No other injuries were reported.

The LBPD has closed westbound Willow Street at Long Beach Boulevard, while eastbound traffic on Willow is limited, as officers investigate.

This story is developing and will be updated.