Long Beach police twice scoured a North Long Beach neighborhood near Addams Elementary School on Thursday but were unable to capture a gunman who fled from the scene of a deadly shooting.
The shooting happened around 12:35 p.m. Police have released few details about it, but neighbor Derick Ayash said he heard a single gunshot and went outside to find a wounded man lying in the road in front of a home on Plymouth Street near Cedar Avenue.
Police said the man was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Officers quickly surrounded the area and were searching through homes and alleyways — sometimes using a drone — where they suspected the gunman could be hiding. SWAT officers could be seen going from yard to yard after reports that the gunman was seen jumping fences trying to get away.
Police left later that afternoon without finding the gunman, said LBPD Sgt. Bradford Stein. Later that evening, a SWAT team was again requested to the area, but was unable to locate the gunman, Stein said.
It’s unclear if the gunman escaped before police arrived or if he was otherwise able to elude them.
There wasn’t any information available on a motive for the shooting. One neighbor, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said she didn’t hear any type of confrontation before the single gunshot.
The deceased man hasn’t yet been publicly identified.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Friday, May 29, with more information from police.