UPDATE Friday, May 20, 4:50pm | Homicide detectives with the Long Beach Police Department have made two arrests in connection with the April 17 murder of a Los Angeles man as he sat in his car.
LBPD officers serving a search warrant at two locations near the original crime scene in the 1800 block of Gardenia Avenue arrested 25-year-old Nigel Marshall and 20-year-old Estrada Edwards, both of Long Beach
for the murder of 25-year-old Kevin Bell, according to information provided by LBPD spokeswoman Nancy Pratt.
Pratt said that although both suspects are documented gang members from the Bellflower area, the motive for the killing appears to be related to a dispute over a female rather than in the furtherance of the suspects’ gang.
Detectives will be presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, when the suspects will be arraigned.
The murder took place just before midnight on April 17, when officers responded to a call for service regarding gunshots in the area at about 11:48 p.m.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Bell inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics.
Pratt said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information related to this incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire and Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via text or the Internet by visiting LongBeach.gov/police or Tipsoft.com.
UPDATE April 18, 4:51pm | Long Beach police have identified the man who was found shot to death Sunday night in his car, which was parked near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cherry Avenue.
The victim was identified Monday afternoon as 25-year-old Kevin Bell of Los Angeles, the Press-Telegram is reporting.
Bell was found just before midnight Sunday night sitting in his vehicle in the 1800 block of Gardenia Avenue. Police were dispatched to the scene after the department received at least one call for service regarding gunshots in the area.
Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani reportedly said that no suspect information is available.
The investigation continues as detectives attempt to determine a motive and whether the fatal shooting was gang-related, Massacani said.
2:15pm | Long Beach police officers discovered the body of a man who had been shot to death in a vehicle Sunday night, authorities said.Officers from the Long Beach Police Department responded to the call for service in the 1800 block of Gardenia Avenue near Pacific Coast Highway one block east of Cherry Avenue at about 11:48 p.m. Sunday, according to information provided by LBPD spokeswoman Lisa Massacani.
Upon their arrival at the scene, the found an adult male in a vehicle who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body, Massacani said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics, she said.
The victim’s name was not immediately released pending notification of his next of kin. He was only identified as a black male in his 20s.Detectives are unsure as to the motive and are trying to determine whether the homicide is gang-related, Massacani said. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call LBPD Homicide Detectives Mark McGuire or Greg Krabbe at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be submitted via text or e-mail by visiting LongBeach.gov/police.