Suspects Sought in Apparent Stray-Bullet Death of Long Beach Street Vendor

The 100 block of East Eagle Street in Long Beach in February 2022. (Google Maps/Screenshot via California Insider)

Long Beach police are searching for suspects in the death of a street vendor after he was apparently struck by a stray bullet March 20.

Police say the vendor was killed at about 4:05 p.m. Wednesday on the 100 block of East Eagle Street. Officers responded to the location after receiving several reports of gunshots in the area.

When officers arrived, they found a man was shot in his upper body. They attempted to revive him before Long Beach Fire Department first responders arrived, according to a police department press release.

The man was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Homicide detectives have determined that several unknown suspects were in the area before the shooting. At least one fired multiple gunshots.

The man who was killed was “working down the block as a street vendor when he was struck by gunfire,” the police department said in the press release.

“Detectives do not believe the victim had an interaction with any of the suspects at the time of the shooting,” police said. “The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.”

Police withheld the man’s identity pending notification of his family by the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner, which did not immediately respond to a request for information Friday.

Several local news reports identified the victim as Yener Ramirez, a street vendor known as “The Corn Guy.” A fundraising site for Mr. Ramirez said he was a “loving father working tirelessly … to provide for his family.”

The GoFundMe page for Mr. Ramirez has quickly raised several thousand dollars to help his family with funeral expenses. By midday Friday, the $40,000 goal had been surpassed as 1,200 donors raised $40,629.

Yener’s widow, Ama Cruz, told ABC 7 News her husband came to this country from Guatemala about a decade ago. He had been robbed at gunpoint in the past and was getting tired of being a vendor, hoping to get into a different line of work soon, she told the news station.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to contact Detectives Michael Hubbard, Jesus Espinoza, or Alfredo Chairez at the Long Beach Police Department, 562-570-7244. Tipsters can also leave anonymous information by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477, or visit lacrimestoppers.org.