Detectives are investigating a string of six separate shootings across Long Beach that left one person dead and four others injured Thursday night.
At least two of the shootings are believed to be related, police said, but many of the details remain under investigation. No arrests have been made.
In response to the unusual burst of crime, the Long Beach Police Department issued a statement saying, “Gun violence is not tolerated. We are currently working to identify and arrest the suspects responsible for these incidents.”
Police said the first shooting took place in the 1000 block of Gaviota Avenue when a man shot at another man just after 7:30 p.m. Nobody was injured, and the gunman fled before officers arrived, police said.
About an hour later, officers responded to the area of Polynesian and Lei drives after an argument turned into a drive-by shooting, police said. In that case, two men were walking when an argument broke out between them and another man they knew, police said. At some point, the man they knew shot at them from a truck, and drove away, police said. One of the men was struck in the lower body, and the other drove him to the hospital, police said, adding that the man who was shot is in stable condition.
While detectives investigated the crime, another drive-by shooting occurred at about 10 p.m. in the 1000 block of Gaviota Avenue, police said. A man was in the area when someone in a light-color sedan shot and wounded him in the upper and lower body, police said. They believe this crime is related to the earlier shooting at the same location. The victim was taken to a local hospital to treat injuries that weren’t life-threatening, according to LBPD Lieutenant Josh Brearley.
Moments later, Brearley said, two men were shot in the 200 block of East Eagle Street, which is near Long Beach’s Wrigley neighborhood. Officers arrived at the scene of that shooting around 10:21 p.m. and found the two men with gunshot wounds to the upper body, police said. One of the men, identified by authorities as 28-year-old Long Beach resident, Ismael Cuevas, was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was transported by Long Beach Fire Department personnel to a local hospital, police said.
Officers then responded to another hospital where a man walked in with a gunshot wound, but police said they do not know at this time where the shooting happened. Police did not say whether the victim refused to tell them where he was shot.
Police said the final shooting happened in the 2100 block of Elm Avenue when a man tried to get inside another man’s car just before 7 a.m. Friday morning. The suspect pulled out a gun and after a brief argument, shot at the man in the car, police said. Nobody was injured and the gunman fled the scene before officers arrived.
The motives for the shootings are still under investigation.
“Today and through the weekend, our detectives, officers, and professional staff will continue to follow all leads and actively investigate each of these shootings,” the LBPD said. “We are adjusting our operations so that we may further engage with our community, pursue new leads, and prevent any further crime from occurring.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with more information from police about additional shootings.