Los Angeles County Supervisors voted Tuesday to reauthorize a $10,000 reward that it offered in July 2023 in hopes of bringing to justice the persons responsible for killing a 12-year-old Long Beach boy.
According to police, Eric Gregory Brown III and two other kids were walking on Lewis Avenue in Central Long Beach around 11:30 p.m. on May 9 when several people in a vehicle approached them. For reasons that are still unclear, people in the car opened fire on the kids, whom police said they did not know. Brown was fatally shot and a 14-year-old girl was injured.
Support facts not fear
News happens fast. In the midst of crime, disasters and other breaking news, the Long Beach Post has reporters and photographers who run to the scene to bring you reliable information. If you value this vital community resource, support it with a tax-deductible donation.
Authorities charged two people in connection with the murder in July 2023, but investigators believe there was a third person in the vehicle who is still on the loose.
The two people in custody in connection with the crime, Reshawn Jonae Strother, 20, of Cypress, and Destenee Sheree Scipio, 21, of Long Beach, are due in court this week for a pretrial hearing. Strother is facing a variety of charges including one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder while Scipio is charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.
In the wake of the shooting, the city and the county worked together to offer a $25,000 reward for information about Brown’s killers. The county’s $10,000 contribution was set to expire later this week, but the vote Tuesday extends that deadline.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Long Beach, asked for the board to extend the award again, citing police’s beliefs that it would help their investigation.