Long Beach Police Department announced last night that it had arrested three teenagers in connection with Tuesday’s fatal shooting of a 20 year-old man who was killed while walking with a 12 year-old relative. Police say it appears that the victim was shot after he did not respond when the suspects confronted him and asked what gang he belonged to. 

At about 8:50PM Tuesday, police found Gerardo Placencia face down on the ground near East 7th St. near Rose Ave. with gunshot wounds to the chest. Preliminary investigation indicated that Placencia was walking with a 12 year-old relative who was riding a scooter in front of him when the pair passed by the three suspects as they were exiting a local business.

The suspects approached the victim and asked him what gang he belonged to. Fearing something might happen, the victim did not respond and tried to rush his relative along while quickly walking away. The suspects followed the pair on bicycle and eventually caught up with them around Rose Ave.

“As the suspects followed behind the pair, one of them without provocation produced a firearm and fired multiple times,” said Sgt. Aaron Eaton of the Long Beach Police Department.

The suspects fled the scene and the young relative went into a nearby business to ask for help. Detectives worked through the night Tuesday to find the suspects and announced Wednesday evening that it had arrested three Long Beach residents for the crime. Montreal Hill, 19, Eric Hubbard, 18, and a 15-year-old male juvenile, who is not being named because he is a minor. All three are currently being held on gang-related murder charges.

This is the second murder in Long Beach since last Friday, when 19 year-old Estuaredo Rodriguez was gunned down while walking in the area of 7th St. and Chestnut Ave. Though that murder is being investigated as gang-related, police say the two do not appear to be connected.