Jeremy Spears, 32, a man from Long Beach, was shot to death just after 1:39 a.m. on October 25, 2025, in the 100 block of La Verne Avenue in Belmont Shore, following an altercation that began earlier at a nearby bar. Officers arrived to find him gravely wounded on the street between Second Street and Ocean Boulevard; despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Two days later, county authorities formally identified him as the victim.
Neighbors and friends gathered in the hours and days that followed, building a candlelit memorial along La Verne Avenue where the shooting unfolded. Those who knew Spears described the gathering as an immediate, impromptu tribute in the heart of the quiet residential pocket that borders the busy Belmont Shore nightlife corridor.
Homicide detectives said the confrontation spilled out onto the street after tensions that began in a bar, where a man drew a gun during the dispute and opened fire before fleeing in a vehicle. Investigators traced the case back to that bar-related conflict as they canvassed the area and reviewed evidence through the weekend, noting that the motive remained under investigation even as they pieced together the sequence of events.
By October 26, detectives announced arrests. They identified the suspected gunman as Jason Loving, 41, of Harbor City, who was taken into custody in Compton and booked on suspicion of murder, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and violation of a restraining order, with bail set at $2 million. They also arrested Dasmine Hall, 31, of Compton, on suspicion of murder and accessory to murder; she, too, was booked into Long Beach City Jail with bail set at $2 million. Authorities said both were with one another when they fled after the shooting. The investigation remains active.
