Gas station employee shot, killed in Long Beach, witnesses say

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Police arrested two people after a gas station employee was reportedly shot and killed in Long Beach.

Officers on Tuesday night responded to a shooting call in the 6900 block of Atlantic Avenue and found a man who had been shot in the upper body, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

The victim was taken to the hospital where he later died. Police have not officially identified the man, but witnesses identified him as an employee of a Valero gas station.

Video from the scene shows officers appearing to investigate a dark Nissan sedan in front of the gas station.

A man who said he knows the victim rushed over to the gas station when he heard about 5-6 gunshots.

"When I got here... I could see that they were giving him - they were pumping his chest real hard, trying to resuscitate him. After that, they put him on a gurney and took him into the ambulance," said Steven Lucero.

Lucero said he knew the victim, describing him as a nice guy who he never saw get into any trouble.

Detectives Wednesday afternoon announced the arrests of two suspects in connection with the fatal shooting.

Long Beach police arrested Eloy Lobato Jr., a 37-year-old resident of Long Beach, and Russell Nieto, a 35-year-old resident of Wilmington.

Lobato was booked on suspicion of murder and possession of a firearm, police said. His bail was set at $2 million.

Nieto was booked on suspicion of possessing a firearm and accessory to murder. His bail was set at $35,000.

"Detectives are still actively working to determine the motive for this incident; however, detectives believe the suspect and the victim were involved in a physical confrontation leading to the victim's death," LBPD said in a news release.

Carlos Sena, a neighbor across the street, said shootings are not unusual in the area.

"It's been normalized so much around here that it just happens and people just kind of ignore it at this point," Sena added.