Long Beach shootings said to be random

LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Five young men of Cambodian descent have been shot in Long Beach since October but police say they think the attacks were random.

Four of the victims died. The survivor is a member of an Asian gang who has refused to cooperate with police. The shooters have not been found.

"These shootings are completely and totally independent of each other," said Long Beach Police Cmdr. Bill Blair, and do not indicate a pattern of violence aimed at Cambodians.

The Oct. 19 ambush slayings of Marine Sok Khak Ung and Long Beach City College student Vouthy Tho drew national media attention, the Los Angeles Times said, and revived local concerns among some refugees about the poor, crime-riddled core of the state's fifth-largest city.