Man fatally shot on Father’s Day, found beside son inside vehicle

Authorities Monday publicly identified the 30-year-old man who was found fatally shot inside a vehicle next to his son on Father’s Day in Long Beach.

Officers were called to the shooting scene at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Anaheim Street and Roswell Avenue and found Leevi Matuni Maseuli of Palmdale with a gunshot wound to his upper body sitting in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, next to his 7-year-old son who was in the passenger’s seat, Long Beach Police Department Lt. Dominick Scaccia said.

Officers rendered aid to Maseuli until paramedics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Scaccia said.

Maseuli’s son was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, but the boy was not struck by gunfire, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

A motive for the shooting was not known, Scaccia said. Homicide detectives were investigating.

“To commit such a heinous crime in any circumstance is unacceptable, but to do so on Father’s Day in front of the victim’s child is even more disgraceful,” LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement. “This blatant disregard for our community will not go unanswered and our investigators are working diligently to identify anyone involved in the victim’s death.

“No child should ever have to endure an experience like this and I am asking the public to please speak up with any information, no matter how small, that could help us find those responsible for this callous act of violence.”

Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call LBPD Detectives Michael Hubbard and Jesus Espinoza at 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

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