Police Arrest Four Suspects in Fatal Shooting of Mario Morales-Moreno

Long Beach Police Department Chief of Police Wally Hebeish announces the arrest of four suspects responsible for the shooting of Mario Morales-Moreno.

Homicide Detectives, with the assistance of detectives from the Special Investigations Division arrested the four suspects believed responsible for the April 4, 2024 murder of Mario Morales-Moreno, a 51-year-old resident of Long Beach.

Detectives booked the following four suspects for the murder and firearms-related charges:

  • Taylor Byron Woods, a 20-year-old resident of Bellflower, was booked for one count of murder. Woods was originally arrested on the night of the incident by patrol officers and found to be in possession of a firearm. He was booked for murder on April 8. Bail was set at $2,000,000.
  • Tyrell Deshawn Louden, a 20-year-old resident of Indio, was booked for one count of murder. Louden was arrested on April 9 by the Riverside Sheriff’s Department in the city of Indio and transported to Long Beach City Jail. Bail was set at $2,000,000.
  • Jordan Omarion Stokes, an 18-year-old resident of Long Beach, was booked for one count of murder. Stokes was arrested on April 6, 2024, by the Gardena Police Department for weapons violations unrelated to this murder. Detectives coordinated with the Gardena Police Department and took custody of Stokes on April 9, who was booked for one count of murder. Bail was set at $2,000,000.
  • Semaj Lamar Obrien, a 21-year-old resident of Long Beach, who was booked for one count of murder. Obrien was arrested by Special Investigations Division detectives and booked for murder on April 8.Bail was set at $2,000,000.

During the arrests, officers recovered multiple firearms. Detectives served search warrants in the cities of Long Beach, Bellflower, and Indio. Evidence was recovered during the search warrant service. Homicide detectives believe the motive to be gang related, however, the investigation remains ongoing.

“Gang-related violence has no place in any part of our city, and this callous criminal act has forever changed the lives of Mr. Moreno’s family,” said Chief of Police Wally Hebeish. “The tireless investigative work and arrests of these suspects again demonstrates the commitment of our personnel to hold violent individuals accountable and take dangerous firearms out of their hands. Through their efforts, along with the assistance of our community, detectives were able to safely arrest the suspects within days of this crime, while also recovering multiple firearms.”

Detectives will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration this week.

The Long Beach Police Department would like to thank their partners, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department and Gardena Police Department for their assistance.

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