According to a release from the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD), at the break of this morning around midnight exactly, officers from the department responded to a shooting in the area of Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue that resulted in a murder and an officer-involved shooting.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, a male black in his 30s, was on the sidewalk of Pacific Avenue when the suspect, who was standing nearby, opened fire on him, striking him in the upper body. A patrol officer in the area heard the shots and drove to the scene, where the suspect was walking away. As the officer was preparing to stop his vehicle to contact the suspect, a male white in his 60s, fired at least two rounds at the officer. One round hit the windshield of the car and another round hit the hood, narrowly missing the officer who was still in the car. Moments later, the officer returned fire and the suspect was hit.
The suspect and the victim were both transported to a local hospital in critical condition, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased several hours later. The motive for the shooting is unknown and the investigation is ongoing.
The identity of the victim and the suspect are being withheld due to the ongoing investigation, and pending notification of the victim’s death to his next of kin.
As with all “hit” officer-involved shootings, in addition to the department’s own investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will be conducting an independent investigation of the incident.
Anyone who may have information regarding this case is urged to contact Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives Terri Hubert or Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted via text or web by visiting www.tipsoft.com.