2 killed, 1 wounded in Long Beach triple shooting

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Two men were killed and a third man was wounded in a triple shooting in Long Beach on Wednesday.

The shooting happened around midnight at a duplex in the area of 53rd Street and Orange Avenue.

Long Beach police responded to the scene and found one man dead from at least one apparent gunshot wound to the torso. A second injured man was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

Another man with a gunshot wound to the upper body was transported to a hospital. His injuries are believed to be non-life threatening, police said.

Sonny, the brother-in-law of Suy Phavong, who he identified as one of the victims, was in his garage with three friends before the shooting. When gunshots were heard, the Phavong's wife ran to the garage to find her husband and two others wounded, the brother-in-law stated. The woman witnessed a man run out of the garage as she watched her husband die.

"His wife heard the shots. She called him, he don't answer the phone, and she just went to the garage and checked what's going on, and then she saw they all dead," Sonny said.

Phavong was a father of five.

Sonny said he believes the gunman was hanging out with the group in the garage with the intent to kill one of the men, a taxi driver in his 30s. He believes the other two victims were shot so they can keep quiet.

The suspect was described by the witnesses as a man wearing a gray sweater. Police have not released suspect information.

An investigation into the shooting was ongoing.