A woman was hospitalized Saturday morning after a shooting just north of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, turning a routine weekend into a crime scene on a busy stretch of Atlantic Avenue.
The gunfire was reported about 9:50 a.m. in the 1900 block of Atlantic Avenue. The victim was hit in the upper body and suffered a non-life-threatening wound, authorities said. Paramedics took her to a local hospital, and officials have not released her identity.
Long Beach Police Department spokesman Jordan McGinley told MyNewsLA that detectives were still trying to determine whether the woman was specifically targeted. It was also unclear if she is a student at the nearby school. Officers cordoned off the area and processed the scene while investigators asked anyone with information to come forward.
Near-campus safety concerns
The location is uncomfortably familiar territory for the school community. In January, a Long Beach Poly student was wounded in a separate off-campus shooting near the campus, FOX 11 reported. That earlier case prompted stepped-up security at the school and a statement of support for the injured student from the district.
In the wake of such incidents, school officials and police have at times coordinated increased patrols and other safety measures in the blocks surrounding the campus, trying to reassure students and families even when incidents occur off school grounds.
Citywide trends
The shooting also lands in the middle of a broader conversation about gun violence across Long Beach. Local reporting and public records have pointed to an uptick in shootings in recent years, sparking calls for more community-based violence prevention efforts, according to the Long Beach Post.
The Post’s data-focused coverage has documented a spike in shootings in 2020 and has kept attention on neighborhood hotspots and how city leaders respond with policing strategies and prevention programs.
What police are asking
The Long Beach Police Department is asking anyone with information about Saturday’s shooting to contact detectives or submit tips through the department’s website, the Long Beach Police Department. No arrests had been announced at the time of reporting.
