Mother of four shot and killed on 710 Freeway in Long Beach
A woman was shot and killed following a collision on the 710 Freeway in Long Beach early Tuesday morning.
The crash was reported at around 2:30 a.m. on the southbound lanes of the roadway near the Anaheim Street offramp.
As the investigation continued, there was little immediately known about the nature of the collision, though California Highway Patrol officials did issue a Sigalert for the area throughout much of the morning.
First responders to the scene found the driver, a woman, suffering from a gunshot wound behind the wheel of a BMW SUV.
The vehicle was found in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven after reportedly flying off the side of the freeway and crashing through a fence. Footage from the scene showed a shattered driver's side window, as well as two bullet holes in the door.
Mercedes Mingo, 35, of Los Angeles died at the scene, according to the CHP.
Mingo's sister, Rayshanae Gram, told CBSLA that Mingo, a mother of four, had just left the house, giving Gram a kiss on the cheek on her way out the door.
Both Long Beach Police Department and California Highway Patrol officers are involved in the shooting investigation. Neither department was sure if the incident was a car-to-car shooting.
They were working to obtain surveillance footage from nearby businesses to further assess the situation, as well as searching for witnesses to what may have happened.
"Our biggest source of information in this case would be any motorists that were traveling southbound 710 or northbound 710 early this morning that may have seen anything involving a vehicle and possibly this BMW SUV," said CHP Captain Joe Zizi.
The southbound 710 Freeway was briefly shutdown Tuesday morning as officers scoured the area for bullet casings.
