Police are trying to determine who shot and killed a homeless man in North Long Beach this weekend.

Officers learned of the crime around 7 a.m. Sunday when someone called them about a man who wasn’t breathing in the 600 block of East South Street, just south of the Michelle Obama Library.

When officers arrived, they discovered the man had been shot in the upper body, police said. He died at the scene, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

“Homicide detectives responded to the scene,” police said. “The motive for the shooting and circumstances of the incident are still under investigation.”

Police identified the man as Ali Jabbaar Phannix, 43.

Investigators are looking for any witnesses, who are urged to call Detectives Michael Hubbard or Jesus Espinoza at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be sent through Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.