Justice Lopez, 21, was found inside her Long Beach residence on Gaviota Avenue on November 22, 2024 with a gunshot wound to her upper body. Emergency responders took her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound to the torso and the manner of death homicide.

Investigators say Lopez had been in a prior dating relationship with a 17-year-old male who approached her inside her home and shot her before fleeing. The suspect was located and arrested on November 26, 2024 in the 6100 block of Orange Avenue after being taken into custody on two unrelated no-bail warrants. Detectives later identified him as the prime suspect and presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on December 2, 2024. The motive remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the relationship between Lopez and the suspect is asked to contact the Long Beach Police Department.