Shooting suspect shot by Long Beach Police near area of Grand Prix

LONG BEACH, Calif. - A shooting suspect was shot by Long Beach Police Sunday, after several other shootings in the downtown area earlier in the afternoon. Commander Michael Pennino

According to Long Beach Police Commander Michael Pennino, officers were called to the area of E. 3rd Street and Elm Avenue around 4:45 p.m., for reports of gunshots. Minutes later, an officer nearby heard gunshots and found a man matching the description of the suspect blocks away near Elm and E. Ocean Boulevard. That's when officers shot the suspect.

The man was shot in the upper body and taken to a nearby hospital. He suffered what Pennino called "non-life-threatening injuries." Officers said they recovered a gun at the scene.

Pennino credited the quick response to the fact that the department had an increased presence in the downtown area, investigating two other shootings earlier in the afternoon. Just after 1 p.m. LBPD reported a shooting in the 600 block of E. Ocean Boulevard, in which no one was hit, and just before 3p.m. another shooting happened in the 700 block of Atlantic Avenue, in which a man was shot in the chest.

"With those shootings that had occurred, the extra resources that were deployed to the area, we believe we had the resources on hand and that's what helped us apprehend this suspect," Pennino said.

The man shot in the earlier attack suffered "non-life-threatening injuries, according to Pennino.

Pennino stopped short of confirming that the same suspect was involved in all three shootings, he did say that the department believed the shootings may all be related.

The shooting led officials to warn attendees of the nearby Grand Prix to avoid the area while officers investigated. The Green Gate to the Grand Prix at Long Beach Boulevard and Ocean was closed.