Woman found dead on the 710
Driver of wrecked SUV had multiple gunshot wounds.
A woman was found dead with several gunshot wounds early Tuesday inside a wrecked SUV on the 710 Freeway in Long Beach, authorities said.
Around 2:33 a.m., a passerby spotted a black BMW that had crashed into a chain-link fence on the southbound 710 offramp toward Anaheim Street, said Officer Chris Baldonado, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.
Paramedics found the driver of the BMW with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper torso, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, Baldonado said.
L.A. County coroner officials identified the woman as Mercedes Mingo, 35, of Los Angeles.
After the shooting, a woman showed up at the scene near the offramp and identified herself as Mingo’s sister, pointing out that the SUV belonged to her sibling, according to a KCBS-TV Channel 2 report. Rayshanae Gram said Mingo was a mother of four and had just left the house that morning, giving Gram a kiss on the cheek on her way out.
CHP investigators suspect Mingo was shot while on the freeway, but they were unsure when, where and what motivated the shooting. Authorities are investigating several angles and have called on any witnesses to come forward.
“We don’t know where it happened — it could’ve been miles before, it could’ve happened when this individual crashed — and we don’t know if she was the only one in the vehicle,” Baldonado said.
“There’s a lot of possibilities. Even at 2 a.m., someone must’ve seen something.”
In April, a pair of separate shootings took place on the 710 Freeway on the same day, leaving one dead and two injured.
In both incidents, different cars had pulled up alongside the victims’ vehicles and fired before speeding off. The CHP has yet to identify suspects or make arrests in either shooting.