LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson has not made any public comments on a 12-year-old boy who died after being shot Tuesday night.
Authorities have not released the identity of the fatally wounded boy but family members identified him as Eric Gregory Brown, Fox 11 reported.
The shooting left Brown dead and a 14-year-old girl wounded, and police Wednesday sought at least two suspects who fled in a vehicle.
Officers were sent to the 2200 block of Lewis Avenue about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
The wounded boy and girl were taken to a hospital, where the boy died, police said. The girl was expected to survive, according to police.
According to police, the boy, the 14-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl were walking on the sidewalk when a vehicle approached them, occupied by at least two males.
“An unknown number of suspect(s) shot at the victims,” police said in a statement. No description was released of the vehicle or suspects.
Police increased patrols in the area on Wednesday, authorities said.
“The shooting that took place last night is absolutely devastating,” LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement. “A young boy’s life has been cut short due to an intolerable act of gun violence. While we mourn this loss as a community, our officers will not stop working to locate and arrest those responsible for this tragedy.”
Neighbors told Fox 11 that investigators were canvassing home surveillance cameras to help identify the suspect’s vehicle.
“It’s kind of crazy. I just heard the shots and five minutes later, the whole block was blocked off,” a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told Fox 11.
City News Service contributed to this report.
