A Wilmington man was charged today with murder for allegedly shooting a Long Beach bar employee during a verbal dispute.
Salvador Rivera, 33, was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of just over $2 million bail while awaiting arraignment Feb. 15 in connection with the Jan. 16 killing of James Lopez, 39, of Bell.
Rivera was arrested last Friday during a traffic stop near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Roswell Avenue in Chino, according to Long Beach police.
Detectives had gathered “significant evidence” connecting him to the killing, police said. The shooting occurred at the Crow’s Nest, according to multiple media reports.
Officers were sent to the business near the 1900 block of Willow Street at about 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 16 after a report of a shooting inside the business, and found Lopez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Police said Lopez was involved in a verbal dispute with Rivera, a customer who allegedly fired several shots at him before fleeing the scene on foot.
Lopez was taken to a nearby hospital, where he subsequently died.