A drive-by shooting in Long Beach has left a 12-year-old boy dead and a 14-year-old girl injured.
The boy, identified as Eric Gregory Brown III, was shot in the upper body and the 14-year-old was shot once in the lower body, the Long Beach Police Department said. The 14-year-old’s wound is considered non-life-threatening.
According to LBPD, the two children, along with a 13-year-old girl, were on the sidewalk when a car with at least two men drove up and someone inside opened fire around 11:32 p.m. The other girl was not physically hurt.
Long Beach Fire Department firefighters took the victims to a hospital, where Eric died.
The families of the victims told NBCLA that they didn’t know why the children were out so late, adding that they thought they were asleep.
David Chen, father to the 14-year-old, said his daughter kept running after being shot in the leg. “I heard about the boy. He passed away, so I feel bad for him,” Chen added.
Eric’s family said the teens were reportedly asked “Where you from?” before shots were fired. “Who shoots kids? I mean, why are they shooting kids?” asked his grandmother. “He wasn’t no gang-banger or no nothing. He was a child sitting outside on the steps.”
Eric’s grandmother pleaded for her grandson’s killers to turn themselves in.
“The persons who pulled the triggers, you guys need step up and turn yourselves in,” she said. “We don’t have the right to take other people’s lives. We don’t have that right. You didn’t create him and you’re not supposed to take him away.”
Eric’s family remembered him as an active and playful child. His mother called him “cheerful.”
They held a vigil for him with balloons released on Wednesday.
“The shooting that took place last night is devastating. A young boy’s life has been cut short due to an intolerable act of gun violence,” LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said in a written statement.
“While we mourn this loss as a community, our officers will not stop working to locate and arrest those responsible for this tragedy.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives Michael Hubbard or Jesus Espinoza at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app, or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.
