A man was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Alejandro Calderon of Hawthorne, who was killed on March 17, 2025, in the 5400 block of Atlantic Avenue.
Long Beach Police responded to a call at 3:49 a.m. and found Calderon suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital but later died. At the time, authorities had little information about the motive or the suspect. After more than a month of investigation, detectives identified 24-year-old Malik Cooper of Compton as the primary suspect. Cooper was arrested on Monday during a traffic stop and is now booked for murder with bail set at $2 million. The motive behind the shooting remains under investigation. Homicide Detectives Eric Thai and Chasen Contreras are leading the case, which will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Detectives Thai or Contreras at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), using the “P3 Tips” mobile app, or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.
