Thirteen year old among three injured in Long Beach gang shooting

Three people, including a 13-year-old child, have been shot during a drive-by shooting in downtown Long Beach in California, authorities have said.

The Long Beach Police Department said in a release that the shooting took place at around 7.30pm on Saturday in the area of Shoreline Drive and was thought to have been gang related.

A 23-year-old man was struck in the chest and left in critical condition, while an 18-year old man and a 13-year-old boy also sustained gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.

NBC4 reported that the incident occurred outside the Hooters restaurant at The Pike Outlets and that one of the victims ran into the restaurant for help.

“The preliminary investigation revealed the victims were standing in front of a business, when gunshots were fired at them from a vehicle driving by,” police said.

Officers in the area conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle seen “fleeing the area” and detained three possible suspects inside the car. A firearm was also recovered from inside the vehicle, police said.

Jonathan Rodriguez-Zamora, 23, from Wilmington was booked on three counts of attempted murder among other charges and is being held on $3 million bail.

Two other male teenagers, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, were also booked on charges of attempted murder among other charges.

“A motive for the shooting is still undetermined, but detectives are investigating it as possibly being gang related,” police said.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia called the shooting “horrific” in a post on Twitter on Sunday, citing an “increase in gun violence in our city and across the country”.

“Gun seizures are up over 50 per cent locally and last year Americans purchased 60 per cent more guns. LBPD had already surged staffing and more to come. Suspects arrested,” he said.

At least one bullet struck a nearby business, police said. Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna told reporters that those inside the restaurant were shaken by the incident.

“As you can imagine, they’re traumatised,” Mr Luna said. “It’s not every day a bullet goes through the front door, and there’s blood on the floor.”

“I was just eating with my family, and then we heard like six gunshots,” Wendy Jones told NBC4. “We saw people running to the parking lot.”

Police are asking that anyone who has information regarding the incident contact the city’s Gang Investigation Section at (562) 570-7370.

“I would like to thank all of the community members who assisted the officers in the area by quickly providing valuable information during this tragic incident,” Mr Luna said.