Loved ones are devastated after a beloved father and Army veteran was shot and killed outside of his Long Beach home.
The shooting happened Thursday on the 600 block of East 61st Street at around 6:44 p.m., according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Mario Morales-Moreno, 51, was doing yard work outside his home when a stray bullet fatally struck him.
Shirin Senegal, whose office is located across from the victim’s home, recalls the terrifying ordeal.
“I saw the [victim] working outside in his yard and as soon as I opened the door to the office, I heard at least five to seven gunshots,” she recalled. “We locked the doors and when we looked outside, I saw the gentleman on the ground and they were trying to revive him.”
Arriving officers found two injured men at the scene — Morales-Moreno with a gunshot wound to his upper body and another unidentified man with a gunshot to the leg.
Morales-Moreno was pronounced dead. The second man was transported to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition.
Detectives discovered multiple gunshots were fired toward the victims. Although the motive behind the deadly shooting remains unknown, police do not believe the victims were the intended targets.
Officers later detained three male suspects in the area. One of them had a firearm and was arrested at the scene. Their involvement in the deadly shooting remains under investigation.
On Friday night, loved ones and community members gathered outside Morales-Moreno’s home to remember the beloved husband, Army veteran and father of two children.
The deadly incident has left residents on edge. Police said they have increased patrols in the area.
“We’re scared,” Senegal said. “I don’t even keep my doors open anymore.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Homicide Detectives Eric Thai or Kelsey Myers at 562-570-7244.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.