Man shot to death in Long Beach parking lot
A man was shot to death in a beachside parking lot in the Long Beach neighborhood of Belmont Shore late Tuesday night.
The shooting was reported at 10:35 p.m. in the 4300 block of East Ocean Boulevard, near Rosie's Dog Beach.
Long Beach police responded to find a man with a gunshot wound to his upper body. The victim was lying next to a silver sedan. The windows of the sedan were shattered and there were bullet casings on the ground.
He died at the scene. He was identified by the L.A. County coroner's office Thursday as 27-year-old Justin Morris.
According to police, Morris was practicing a dance routine when he got into an argument with a group of male suspects. It resulting in a fight, which then culminated in the shooting.
Police are unclear how many suspects were involved. There was no word on whether the killing was caught on security cameras.
A man who lives nearby, but did not want to go on camera, told CBSLA that he heard numerous gunshots. Detectives spent hours collecting evidence and talking with possible witnesses.
The parking lot is near homes, businesses and a community pool.
"We're a small community here, so everybody almost knows each other here," said Joe Suntharaphat, who came out to swim early Wednesday morning..."We see people that hang around here, skaters, homeless, but that's about it."
"We have people playing volleyball, people walking around, exercising, so it's definitely a friendly and active community," resident Anna Marie Cruz added.
Parking lot signs say the beach closes at 10 p.m., about 30 minutes before those gunshots rang out. However, locals told CBSLA they don't believe the closure is enforced.
