A Long Beach man pleaded not guilty today to murder charges stemming from a shooting in the summer of 2021 that left two men dead.
Efren Abril, 23, is charged with the Aug. 5, 2021, killings of 29-year-old Antonio Parra and 28-year-old Brian Gomez, both of Long Beach.
Officers were called about 12:15 a.m. that day to the 100 block of East Anaheim Street, where the victims were found with multiple gunshot wounds, according to Long Beach police.
The two were taken to a hospital, where they died, police said.
Just over a month later, police announced that homicide detectives had gathered evidence to identify the shooter as Abril, whom police said was being held at the time in an Orange County jail on an unrelated case.
The motive for the shooting was unclear, and investigators did not believe Abril knew the two men, police said then.
Along with the two murder counts, Abril is charged with one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition prohibited by a prior conviction, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
He remains jailed on just over $4 million bail while awaiting his next appearance Feb. 22 in a Long Beach courtroom.