Man found fatally shot on beach, dead womam discovered in nearby SUV, Long Beach police say

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Long Beach police found a man fatally shot on a beach and a deceased woman in a nearby vehicle early Monday morning.

The grim discovery was made at about 5:50 a.m. in the 5400 block of Ocean Boulevard after officers responded to an initial report of a dead body, according to police.

Authorities handled the investigations separately, and by the afternoon determined that no foul play was involved in the deaths.

The man suffered a gunshot wound to his upper torso, homicide detectives said. The woman, whose cause of death was unknown, was located in a parked SUV as police were investigating the first body.

"Based on our preliminary investigation, it appears that the gentleman found on the beach may have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound," police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said. "At this point, there is nothing that leads us to believe that this case is related to the female that was found in the SUV nearby. We believe that in that case it was a case of natural death."

Neighbors in the area said the whole ordeal was still tragic regardless of the circumstances.

Divers had searched adjacent waters for evidence, and the scene was cordoned off by yellow tape as police scoured the surrounding sand. Detectives wrapped up the scene by the later afternoon.