A fatal shooting sent a crowd running near the grand opening of Marathon Burger, the newest restaurant in downtown Long Beach, on Sunday, turning what was supposed to be a celebration into a chaotic and tragic scene.
Police said shots were fired just after 3:30 p.m. about a half-block south of the event — on Broadway near Pine Avenue — just outside the perimeter that had been cordoned off for the celebration. Earlier in the day, hundreds of people gathered for the opening of a new location for Marathon Burger, the fast-food chain founded by the late rapper Nipsey Hussle and his brother Black Sam.
Eyewitness Eric Van Dyke, a relative of Husserl’s, said he saw panic spreading.
“I saw people running. When you see a big group of people running, you know something’s going on, they were running one way and then another and then someone said they heard gunshots,” he said.
Van Dyke said the violence overshadowed the spirit of the day.
He said: “It’s disappointing because I know Black Sam wanted this to be a happy moment, so unfortunately something happened that made people focus more on the negatives rather than the positives.”
Three men were shot and taken to a hospital, where one later died, police said. Two others were in stable condition Sunday night.
“It’s devastating, you know what I’m saying, especially with this being the grand opening. We’re here to honor the late great Nipsey Hussle, but this is not what he wanted,” said Seven, a nearby resident.
Long Beach police said no suspects are in custody and the investigation remains ongoing. Investigators have not yet said whether the shooting was related to the grand opening. However, a spokesperson for Marathon Burger told Eyewitness News that the incident had nothing to do with the restaurant’s debut.
Despite the shooting, Marathon Burger called the opening a huge success and said the restaurant continues to take orders and investigators work behind a crime scene tape outside the front door.
The violence came a day after hundreds of people gathered in South Los Angeles, where the city officially named the intersection of Slauson and Crenshaw “Nipsey Hussle Plaza” to honor the rapper’s life and legacy.
READ MORE: Slauson and Crenshaw intersection officially named ‘Nipsey Hussle Plaza’
Hundreds of fans gathered Saturday as the city named the intersection of Slawson and Crenshaw “Nipsey Hussle Plaza” to honor the late rapper’s life and work in the South Los Angeles neighborhood.
