Long Beach rattled after death of 5-year-old girl
Neighbors in Long Beach are shaken after learning that a standoff ended with a 5-year-old girl allegedly being shot to death by her father.
Are you or someone you know a recent survivor of domestic violence? Help is available. Los Angeles County has a hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-978-3600. A national hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – An hours-long standoff took a tragic turn in Long Beach overnight, leaving a domestic violence suspect and a 5-year-old child dead.
Officers with the Long Beach Police Department were called to a home in the 3400 block of Adriatic Avenue, located near the intersection of Santa Fe Ave. and W. 34th Street, Thursday afternoon regarding a domestic dispute.
Arriving officers discovered smoke and fire coming from the home; officers also heard a loud sound, which may have been gunfire. Firefighters were called to the scene and knocked down the flames. When officers entered the house they found a 5-year-old girl dead inside from a gunshot wound. The suspect, identified by authorities as 39-year-old Chase Phillip Powell, was barricaded inside.
Armed suspect, child dead after Long Beach barricade
A tragic story unfolded in Long Beach overnight.
Long Beach PD then activated a SWAT team and nearby residents were told to evacuate or shelter in place.
SWAT negotiators attempted to contact Powell for hours. Officers obtained a search warrant and entered the house to find Powell dead inside. Investigators say Powell killed his daughter and then killed himself.
Two firearms were recovered inside.
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“We are all devastated by the murder of a 5-year old child. This is a heartbreaking act of domestic violence that should not have happened,” said Chief Wally Hebeish. “An innocent child has had her life cut short and no words can replace the wonder and promise taken away from her. We join our entire community in mourning the loss of this precious life, and offer our deepest condolences to her mother, family, and friends during this time.”