7 injured in overnight shooting in Long Beach in latest incident of violent crime

Seven people were injured in a shooting in a Long Beach parking lot Saturday night. It's the latest in a string of violent crimes plaguing the city of Long Beach.

It happened around 11:15 p.m., in a parking lot at the intersection of South Street and Paramount Boulevard.

A neighbor said she heard the gunfire.

"All of a sudden I heard ch-ch-ch-ch-ch and, then it happened all over again — 15 to 20 rounds," she said.

Police said multiple people were shot by at least two men, possibly gang members, firing into a crowd in a parking lot. In the middle of the lot, another neighbor said, "... I saw the guy lying on the ground."

At a nearby nightclub, a worker said, "a stray bullet came in... unfortunately somebody got hit."

In total, police say there were seven victims. Some were transported to a nearby hospital, others drove themselves to get medical help.

In recent weeks, there have been a number of violent crimes and fatal shootings in Long Beach.

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At the Ministry of Christ The True Vine, in the same shopping center as Saturday Night's shooting, church members talked about their fears. One said they worry about crime. Another said she feels like it's on the increase. A third told FOX 11 that when she's out on the streets she worries about crime, saying she "wish I had eyes in the back of my head."

Meanwhile, Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish said, "the Long Beach Police Department has been actively investigating this shooting and will continue working until we identify and arrest those involved in this unacceptable act of gun violence."

The department promised to have additional patrol officers in the area. FOX 11 witnessed those increased patrols Sunday. In response to the recent increase in violent crime, the department said it's focusing more on the areas impacted by violence.

One resident called the recent violent crime in the city "sad. Everywhere you go... it's sad."

According to Long Beach Police, shootings are up 5.7% for the first quarter of this year versus the same period last year.

As for the shooting at South and Paramount Saturday night, LBPD said four of the seven hit by gunfire remain in critical condition.