It was a tragically busy weekend for authorities in Long Beach as two people were murdered in separate incidents that are still under investigation.
Around 9:00pm on Friday night, police responded to reports of screams in the 500 block of Pleasant Street and found a 27-year old woman and a 7-year old boy who had each sustained multiple stab wounds to the body. Both were transported to a local hospital, where the boy succumbed to his injuries and passed away. His name was Felix Sandoval. The woman, his mother, sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Police took 30-year old Peniamina Tomasi into custody and booked him for murder and attempted murder. Tomasi and the woman lived together with their eight children (two together, three each from previous relationships). The Department of Child Services has taken custody of the other seven children, who were uninjured.
Tomasi was not Sandoval’s father.
Later that evening, around 3:20am on Saturday morning, gunshots were reported in the 1440 block of Chestnut Avenue and police responded, finding 19-year old Jesus Antonio Cruz-Gonsalez with multiple wounds to the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No suspect information is currently available and authorities are trying to identify a motive. Anyone who may have any information regarding this incident is urged to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Patrick O’Dowd and Terri Hubert at (562) 570-7244.