Police say they surrounded a home and arrested a suspected gunman after a 63-year-old woman was killed and a man was wounded in West Long Beach on Wednesday.
Authorities say the man opened fire around 6:30 p.m. Officers were already near Santa Fe Avenue and 19th Street when they heard the gunshots, Long Beach police spokeswoman Shaunna Dandoy said. The department’s west substation is at that intersection.
Officers canvased the area and found two victims with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies a little east of Santa Fe on 19th Street, Dandoy said.
Witnesses said the victims were husband and wife.
“They usually walk around with their dogs minding their own business,” neighbor Jose Abundis said.
Two people in the area said the man had been shot in the back but appeared to be moving around. They said they saw first-responders performing chest compressions on the woman.
Sebastian Rodríguez said his mom was next door when she heard the shots. When she went outside, she saw the couple’s small dog running around with its leash dragging on the ground.
She and Rodriguez went to the couple’s home on the next street over to return the dog. The son at the home told them his mom wasn’t doing so well and he had to go, according to Rodriguez.
Dandoy said both victims were rushed to the hospital where the woman died. The man’s wounds weren’t believed to be life-threatening.
Police said the suspect fled into a home on 19th Street, but officers set up a perimeter and he surrendered to them after a short time. Inside, investigators found the gun believed to be used in the shooting, the LBPD said.
Neighbors said the victims are landlords at the home where the shooting took place and the suspect was a tenant, but police couldn’t immediately confirm that.
“At this time, evidence suggests there was a long-term, ongoing personal dispute between the suspect and the victims,” police said in a statement. “The shooting occurred after the suspect observed the victims in front of his residence and walked outside to confront them.”
Police identified the suspected shooter as Jesus Romero, a 46-year-old resident of Long Beach. He was booked into jail on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, according to the LBPD. He was held on $2 million bail.
The woman he’s accused of killing was 63-year-old Raquel Bramasco DeDavila, also a Long Beach resident, police said.
Authorities also briefly detained a woman during their investigation, but she was later released, according to the department.
Police asked anyone with more information to call Detectives Adrian Garcia or Sean Magee at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS or visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with more details from police and neighbors.