A 16-year-old student from Long Beach Polytechnic High School was shot and hospitalized following an incident that took place near the school premises on Tuesday, local authorities confirmed. The Long Beach Police Department reported to the scene around 10:30 a.m. on the 500 block of New York Avenue, just blocks away from the high school. According to KTLA, the teenager sustained a wound to his lower body and was swiftly taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The shooting occurred when an adult male allegedly approached a group of youths and began to open fire, striking the teenage victim. The suspect managed to escape before police arrived on the scene. Investigations are continuing to try and determine the motive behind the attack, with officers not ruling out the possibility of it being gang-related, as reported by KTLA. However, there have not yet been any arrests made in connection with the shooting.
Long Beach Unified School District released a statement, which was obtained by NBC Los Angeles, assuring that the school campus remained secure and that instructional activities were not affected by the incident. To further ensure the safety of students and staff, an increased security presence from LBUSD School Safety was instituted following the event.
"Upon arrival, officers contacted a 16-year-old male victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the lower body," stated Officer Eric Stachura, a police spokesperson, in an interview with ABC7. While a suspect description was not immediately available, the police department is actively investigating to bring the shooter to justice and expose the motive behind his actions.
