In the wake of the deadly shooting in Pan American Park on July 21, local leaders and police are coming together Saturday morning to try to answer the community’s questions about their investigation.

The meeting, hosted by the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association and Councilwoman Stacy Mungo, will go from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 28, at the Lakewood Village Community Church Hall at 4515 Sunfield Ave.

The meeting is in response to the shooting death of Fred Taft at a family reunion last Saturday. Taft was described by family and friends as a loving father and dedicated grandfather and many, including the victim’s family, believe the shooting was racially motivated.

Taft’s death has left the usually quiet Lakewood Village neighborhood in shock, Lauren Boland, vice president of the LVNA, said.

“It’s a tragedy that there’s an unsolved murder and we want to make sure the community gets answers,” Boland said, noting that there is a lot of misinformation and chatter on social media, specifically NextDoor.

Commander Erik Herzog from the East Division of the Long Beach Police Department will be at the meeting to present as many answers as he legally can to the public.

Mungo said in a Facebook post for residents to email their questions to [email protected] prior to the meeting so LBPD can prepare the answers in a presentation.

The meeting will be broadcast on Facebook Live on the LVNA’s page.

Valerie Osier is the Social Media & Newsletter Manager for the Long Beach Post. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ValerieOsier