A shooting suspect suffered a non-life-threatening wound Sunday when he was shot by a Long Beach police officer near the Acura Grand Prix.
Officers were called to Third Street and Elm Avenue around 4:45 p.m., where gunshots were reported, according to Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Allison Gallagher.
An officer on patrol in the area heard the description of the suspect aired by police dispatch and located the man, the LBPD said. The preliminary investigation indicated the suspect fired shots at the officer when the officer tried to contact him and the officer shot back.
The suspect suffered a non-life-threatening injury to his chest, Gallagher said. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment. The suspect’s name was not released.
Authorities closed the Green Gate near the Grand Prix for the investigation, KCAL News reported.
Long Beach police Commander Michael Pennino told reporters during a briefing that a gun was recovered. It was not yet known if the gun was used by the suspect.
No officers were injured in the shooting.
Additional shootings were reported in the area Sunday afternoon and, based on the preliminary investigation, detectives believe the same suspect could be responsible for those shootings, police officials said.
A shooting with no reported injuries occurred at 1:02 p.m. in the 600 block of Ocean boulevard, police said. At 2:58 p.m. a man suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in the 700 block of Atlantic Avenue. A no-injury shooting occurred at 4:44 p.m. near Third Street and Elm Avenue and two minutes later a shooting without injuries occurred near Ocean Boulevard and Elm Avenue which resulted in the alleged shootout with the Long Beach police officer.
The officer involved in the shooting was wearing a body-worn camera, but it was not activated until after the shooting occurred, police said. The LBPD is reviewing the footage and will make that available to the public.
Anyone with information about the shootings was urged to contact Homicide Detectives Donald Collier or Chasen Contreras at 562-570-7244 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
