Unclear if slain Long Beach mom was intended target, police say
Long Beach police are searching for a motive in Thursday morning’s fatal shooting of a mother who stepped out of an apartment to grab her toddler’s diaper bag.
Police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said it remained unclear whether Jazzmine Wash, 23, was “an intended target or just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“You have a young woman who is blatantly shot and killed in a neighborhood that is farily quiet,” Pratt said. “It is very concerning to us.”
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Wash dropped off her 3-year-old at a relative’s apartment in the 500 block of Walnut Avenue and walked out to get the bag when gunfire broke out about 6:20 a.m., Long Beach police said. Responding officers and paramedics found Wash in the apartment’s courtyard with multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said no suspect information was available. Pratt said detectives would look for area surveillance footage as part of their investigation.
She also reminded area residents to keep an eye out and call 911 if they spot anything unusual or suspicious.
“We encourage the public at all times to always be aware,” she said.
Friends and family gathered at the apartment Thursday afternoon told the Long Beach Press-Telegram they were shocked by Wash’s death.
“She was so nice. She didn’t deserve this,” said the manager of the complex, who did not provide the newspaper his name. “She was always so respectful. She was a mother. She has a little boy.”
“She was a good girl,” another woman said as she walked into the apartment. “Senseless.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous information can be submitted via CrimeStoppers at (800) 222-8477, online, or by texting “TIPLA” to 274637.
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