Long Beach
Police Department

Update 8/13/2020 at 5:50 p.m:

Detectives recently discovered new evidence linking 28 year-old David Vongkoth and 26 year-old Danny Sourn to the March 12, 2018 murder of Richard Van. Evidence revealed the two Long Beach residents arrived in the 1300 block of Wesley Drive late in the afternoon and confronted Van. The confrontation quickly escalated to a shooting, resulting in Van’s death. The motive for the shooting is still believed to be gang related.

On August 10, 2020, detectives located and arrested Vongkoth during a traffic stop in the 2600 block of Atlantic Avenue. He was booked on one count of murder and is currently being held at a Los Angeles County jail on $2,000,000 bail.

On August 13, 2020, detectives located and arrested Sourn near his residence in the 5400 block of Orange Avenue. He was booked on one count of murder and is currently being held at the Long Beach City jail on $2,000,000 bail.

The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office early next week for filing consideration.

Anyone with information is urged to call Homicide Sergeant Ben Vargas or Detective Juan Carlos Reyes at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 Tips" app to your smartphone (available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Original News Release 3/13/2018:
On March 12, 2018, at approximately 4:30 pm, officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Wesley Drive regarding a hit shooting that just occurred.

Upon arrival officers found a male adult victim with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital by Long Beach Fire, and later pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Further investigation found that there was a physical confrontation between multiple subjects prior to the shooting. The incident is being investigated as gang related.

The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Richard Van of Long Beach.

Anyone with information is urged to call Homicide Detectives Sean Irving and Ben Vargas at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 Tips" app to your smart phone (available at the Apple App store and Google Play), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

About Long Beach Police Department
The mission of the Long Beach Police Department is to enhance public safety through partnerships, while providing a safe City for all people. For more information on the Police Department, please visit us at www.longbeach.gov/police. Follow us on social media to stay connected: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.