Ocean Boulevard was shut down Sunday afternoon and evening after multiple shootings were reported in the Downtown area, according to authorities.

Four separate shootings were reported in the area between 1 p.m. and 4:46 p.m., one of which resulted in a man being injured, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Then, shortly after the 4:46 p.m. shooting, police said, an officer found the suspect and shot him and injured him, though the wound was not life-threatening.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect fired shots at the officer,” the LBPD said in a statement.

The suspect was transported to a local hospital by the Long Beach Fire Department, and a firearm was recovered at the scene. No officers were injured, according to authorities.

Officers investigate the scene of a police shooting on Ocean Boulevard on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova

As for the four other shootings, “it is believed the same suspect could be responsible for all incidents,” the LBPD said in a statement.

The shootings occurred in Downtown near the entrance of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where thousands of fans gathered for the iconic IndyCar race.

Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, said the incidents had “a minimal impact on various egress routes” from the event.

The first shooting of the afternoon, according to police, occurred around 1 p.m. in the 600 block of Ocean Boulevard.

Upon arrival to the scene of the 1 p.m. shooting, officers found a man who said he was in an alley when another man fired shots at him then fled the scene prior to police showing up.

A police officer is seen investigating the scene of a shooting on Elm Avenue between Ocean Boulevard and First Street. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova

No one was injured, though officers found evidence that a shooting had occurred, including casings.

Then, just before 3 p.m., according to the LBPD, a man was reportedly shot and wounded on Atlantic Avenue near Seventh Street, though his injury was also not considered to be life-threatening.

At 4:44 p.m., another shooting occurred at Third Street and Elm Avenue, according to police.

Ruben Dominguez, owner of the convenience store at that intersection, Hops & Vines, said he didn’t personally see the shooting, but he heard it, and others in the area—including his son—witnessed it.

“I was in the back, I went to go get more beer,” Dominguez said. “I saw a guy with a long white shirt. I told my buddy who was there at the moment, I was like, ‘Who’s this guy?’”

He said that the man was asking for help and saying that he needed to go to rehab. After his partner made some calls to try to help the man, the man went outside and asked someone else to buy him a beer. When that person declined, Dominguez said, the man shot at a car in response.

A car is seen with at least two bullet holes at Third Street and Elm Avenue near Downtown Long Beach. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova

Dominguez was downstairs at the time, and heard a ricochet sound, which, due to the Grand Prix, he did not realize were gunshots.

But Dominguez’s son, 11-year-old Ruben Dominguez Jr., said he saw the shooting.

“He started pointing the guns at everyone,” the boy said.

After the man shot the car, he fled down Elm Avenue toward Ocean Boulevard, Dominguez said.

Police investigate the scene of a shooting outside Hops & Vines Market at Third Street and Elm Avenue near Downtown Long Beach on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova

Police dispatch received word of that shooting and immediately aired a suspect description, according to the LBPD.

Two minutes later, at 4:46 p.m., an officer on patrol near Ocean Boulevard and Elm Avenue heard gunshots from a fourth shooting that occurred near that intersection. That shooting did not result in any injuries, according to police, but the officer quickly found a male that matched the suspect description.

According to the LBPD, the suspect and officer both exchanged gunfire. The suspect was wounded, and the officer was not injured, according to authorities.

The LBPD said that while the officer was equipped with a body-worn camera, it was not activated until after the officer shot the suspect.

The department is in the process of reviewing the footage, a statement said, and will make that available to the public as soon as possible.

“As with all officer-involved shooting incidents, the Department will be conducting a full and thorough multi-level review of the incident,” the statement continued. “The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will conduct an independent investigation of the incident, as they do with all officer-involved shootings that result in injury or death.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with more information from the Long Beach Police Department.