Homicide detectives investigate shooting death of Long Beach woman

The Long Beach Police Department was investigating the shooting death of a woman, homicide detectives said. 

It happened around 12:29 a.m. Saturday. Authorities received multiple calls reporting a suspicious person on Roycroft Avenue and Quincy Avenue in East Long Beach. The callers stated that a woman, who was not a resident of the neighborhood, was following residents home, knocking on doors and windows. 

The situation escalated when, at 12:59 a.m., a call came in reporting a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered an adult woman with a gunshot wound to her head. The victim was identified as Andrea Powell, 44, of East Long Beach. 

A witness told officers an adult man observed Powell attacking another woman. The female victim was calling for help and the man armed himself with a handgun. The man is believed to have fired his weapon when Powell began charging toward him, investigators said. 

Officers recovered the firearm at the scene and the male was detained and interviewed by detectives. 

The Long Beach Police Department urges anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward. LBPD Homicide Detectives Leticia Gamboa and Oscar Valenzuela can be contacted at (562) 570-7244.