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Long Beach man shot in North Park

LBPD searching for gunman after shooting by Magnolia and West Hudson

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Long Beach police are investigating a shooting that left a local man injured after he was attacked in the North Park neighborhood Tuesday evening.

Police Commissioner Michael Tangney said the shooting occurred at 5:20 p.m. at Magnolia Boulevard and West Hudson Street. Police rushed to the scene after the gunfire was identified by the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection system.

The gunman fired four rounds, Tangney said, one of which struck the victim in the abdomen. His injuries were not life-threatening, and he is expected to recover, Tangney said.

“One of the rounds grazed the [victim], causing a two inch laceration,” Tangney said, adding that bullets also struck a nearby home and a fence. No other injuries were reported.

Tangney said the victim, who police did not identify, left the scene before police arrived and drove to South Nassau Communities Hospital’s emergency department in Long Beach, where staff immediately notified police. Detectives interviewed the victim, though Tangney said the man was uncooperative.

“He will not cooperate,” Tangney said. “The shooter was in close proximity and [the victim] said he can’t identify him. He said he has no idea why it happened and who did it.”

The victim was later transported to South Nassau’s Oceanside campus.

Police have yet to recover the bullets and the investigation is ongoing. Tangney said he reached out to the Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, a group made up of community leaders and clergy that serves as a liaison between the community and the police.

“We’re working to develop information,” said Tangney, adding that it has been 18 months since the last confirmed shots were detected by ShotSpotter, which turned out to be nearby duck hunters. “Fortunately, for us, the shootings have become a rare occurrence.”

Tangney and local civic leaders say that recent efforts to address gun violence that rocked the North Park community several years ago have been effective.

ShotSpotter was implemented in 2015 following a number of shootings in the North Park, including one in 2014, in which 28-year-old Tyrenzo Brown was killed. In June 2015, an errant bullet grazed the ear of a 4-year-old boy as he was playing inside his home. The suspects in both of those incidents were apprehended.

A number of other shooting incidents had residents on edge. Many say that Brown’s death galvanized the community and led to a number of anti-violence marches in the city. In 2015, City Councilwoman Anissa Moore and a number of civic leaders and clergy in the North Park also began weekly community walks to address the gun violence and diffuse possible retaliation.

“We’ve witnessed a significant reduction in shootings in the area — it’s been close to two years,” Moore said. “It’s been an overall effort between the Police Department and community leaders in North Park to really keep the community safe for everyone. “We were shocked by this recent incident, but we’ll continue with our community walks to express the value of safety in the community.”