A suspect was killed and two of his victims and an officer were hospitalized after a shooting took place in Long Beach on Thursday night, officials said.
Officers were dispatched to a shooting with a male victim outside a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen located at 5401 Atlantic Ave. around 9:15 p.m., Chief Robert Luna of the Long Beach Police Department said at a press conference.
As officers were on route to the scene, they learned that there was now a second female victim of a shooting in the same area, Luna said.
The first responding officer arrived alone and encountered the suspect, who was armed with a shotgun, coming out of a nearby liquor store, officials said.
“The officer believed the suspect, a male adult, was responsible for the previous shootings,” LBPD said in a news release. “At that time, the officer involved shooting occurred near the intersection.”
When a second officer arrived on scene, the suspect shot at least two rounds at the incoming officer, striking the police vehicle, officials said. The second officer then struck the suspect with the police vehicle, officials said, in an effort to stop the suspect from continuing to fire.
The suspect, who was only being identified as a 22-year-old Long Beach resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. It is unclear if he died from being struck by the car or from the gunfire, according to Luna.
One of the officers involved in the incident was transported to a hospital as a precautionary measure after the collision, officials said.
The male victim shot by the suspect outside of Popeyes is in critical condition at a local hospital, officials said, while the woman was hospitalized in stable condition.
A shot gun with a pistol grip believed to belong to the suspect was recovered at the scene, officials said.
Parts of Atlantic Boulevard starting from 52nd Street going north were closed into Friday morning.
A motive for the shooting was unknown.
