LBPD reiterates in its release what its on-scene PIO Shaunna Dandoy told us shortly after dawn: LBPD believes that the individuals who reported the incident and the quick actions of the officers involved prevented additional casualties in what took place.
As reported earlier this morning by LBREPORT.com, at about 12:20 a.m. (Oct. 22) civilians flaged down a patrol officer and said there was a shooting inside a bar. [In other words, the officer's response wasn't to a formal call for service; he responded swiftly to what individuals at the scene told him.]
In its release, LBPD says as that as the officer approached the building, he heard additional shots being fired, "could see into the business, saw the suspect with a gun and an officer involved shooting occurred." [The officer fired into the building from outside the building.]
[LBPD release text] Immediately following the shooting, the Communication Center received a 9-1-1 call from a patron inside the business indicating there was a shooting inside and there were other patrons locked in a storeroom. The initial officer lost sight of the suspect and although it was believed the suspect was still inside, his exact location was unknown. On duty S.W.A.T. officers responded to the scene to locate the suspect and rescue the patrons from the storeroom. Once inside, S.W.A.T. officers located the male adult suspect on the ground, non-responsive and still holding the firearm. The Long Beach Fire Department arrived and determined the suspect deceased at the scene.Based on the preliminary investigation, the suspect was inside the business when he confronted and shot a male adult working inside the business. Although this victim was shot in the upper torso, he was able to run out of the business. He was later taken to a local hospital by the Long Beach Fire Department with non-life-threatening injuries. After this initial shooting with the employee, there is evidence that the suspect exchanged gunfire with an unknown patron of the business.
Shortly after dawn, PIO Dandoy told LBREPORT.com that because LBPD found an additional gun casing at the scene that didn't match the others, it is investigating whether someone else may have fired a gun amid the chaos.
LBREPORT.com PIO Dandoy says entering LBPD/SWAT officers found and rescued three women and one man hiding in a bathroom. None of those four individuals were injured but others did sustain minor injuries when they fled the scene.
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