Detectives Sunday were piecing together the details of a fatal shooting of two men in Long Beach by a man whose home was allegedly broken into by the shooting victims.
Officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call at about 5 p.m. Saturday in the 3700 block of East Esther Street came upon two men suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body, said Lt. Eric Matusak of the Long Beach Police Department.
Arriving paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene. Their names will be released pending notification of next of kin, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
“An adult subject who discharged his weapon at the subjects, he remained at the location and is cooperating with the investigators,” Matusak said. “The exact motive (of the shooting) remains under investigation. However (the shooting) is being investigated as possibly gang-related.”
A subsequent investigation revealed that at least six men forced their way into the Esther Street home, where during an altercation inside, a man fired at the assailants striking two of them, according to Long Beach police.
One man was found shot dead inside the residence, police said, and the other was located shot dead on the front walkway of the home. The remaining men fled the scene either on foot or possibly in a vehicle.
“Detectives served a search warrant on the residence and seized large quantities of marijuana, firearms and cash,” police said. “Detectives will continue to work to determine responsibility for any other crimes that might be related to this incident and will present any findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for filing consideration.
“At this time, there is no indication that the resident is known to the suspects.”
Long Beach police homicide detectives urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to call them at 562-570-7244.