A person of interest was being sought Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Los Alamitos, police said.
The shooting happened shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday in the area of Pine and Catalina streets. Officers responding to a report of shots fired found a gunshot victim, who was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the Los Alamitos Police Department.
The deceased man was not identified by authorities. Neighbors said he was 39-year-old Sangju Sung, a father of two.
Police were searching for Eleazar Vargas, 41, said police Capt. Rick Moore.
A cousin of Vargas, who identified himself only as “Sergio,” described his relative as a “gentle giant” who would not be involved in a homicide.
But “Sergio” did confirm that his cousin was involved in an ongoing dispute with the victim.
Police would not confirm that Vargas was the victim’s neighbor, but did say Vargas lived in the area and was “in the vicinity” at the time of the shooting.
Two residents said they heard a round of about five shots, followed by a pause and two or three more shots.
“The first thing I heard were five semi-automatic rounds being shot off,” said neighbor Jim Pilkenton.
“We heard boom, boom, boom, boom,” said neighbor Ginger Reed.
Neighbors also said Vargas has three children.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Police Department at 562-431-2255, ext. 426, or Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.
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