UPDATE: Murder suspect kills himself amid SWAT standoff in North Long Beach, police say
The man is suspected of killing two people Monday morning.
A man believed to be responsible for killing two people near Deforest Park Monday morning shot and killed himself following an hours-long standoff with police, authorities said.
It’s unclear what sparked the original incident, but police say they responded around 11:15 a.m. to the 300 block of 63rd Street where they found a woman and man who'd been shot in the upper body.
The woman was taken to a local hospital where she died from her injuries, police said. The man died at the scene, they added.
They were identified as Shoneka Lars, 51, and Donnell Crosby, 71, both of Long Beach, police said.
The person police believe was responsible for the slayings fled into a nearby building, prompting officers to establish a perimeter and attempt to talk with him, authorities said.
The SWAT team was activated and eventually entered the residence the suspect was hiding in, police said. But by then, the man had shot himself.
He died at the scene, authorities said. Police identified him as Christopher Barnes of Long Beach.
Lars and Barnes appeared to be in a relationship, according to police. However, the nature of that relationship remains under investigation, they added.
This story has been updated with additional information from LBPD.
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