A woman and her 4-year-old daughter were shot to death in downtown Long Beach late Saturday night as they returned home from grocery shopping.

Police said Sunday that officers responded to the area of Locust Avenue and E. Ninth Street about 10:20 p.m. and found the woman and girl had been shot by an unknown assailant, according to a police statement.

The woman, identified as Carina Mancera, 26, was declared dead at the scene by fire personnel, police said. The girl, identified as Jennabel Anaya, 4, was transported to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in critical condition, but she died from her injuries at the hospital early Sunday morning, a coroner’s spokeswoman said.

• Photos: Memorial of Mother and Daughter Killed in Shooting

Police said Sunday detectives have no information on the possible shooter or shooters. A motive was not known.

Family mourns

Friends, family and neighbors gathered Sunday afternoon at the corner of Locust and Ninth Street where the shooting occurred. It is a mostly residential area dotted with apartment buildings two blocks east of Pine Avenue.

Luis Anaya, 27, the husband and father of the victims, wept as he answered reporters’ questions the day after the killings. He said he had just parked his car after returning from the market with his wife and daughter Saturday night.

Carina and Jennabel had crossed the street, and he was grabbing a few things out of the car when he said he heard the gunfire. He turned and saw both of them fall to the ground.

“I ran over and tried to save them, but it was too late,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I couldn’t.”

A man on foot who he said he did not know and had never seen before also fired shots at him but missed. The shooter then took off running down the street, Anaya said. He said he did not know what the man’s motive could have been.

“I don’t know why he did it, why he came after my family,” he said. “I don’t have any problems with anybody.”

Born and raised in Long Beach, Anaya lives about a half-block from Renaissance High School for the Arts, from where he graduated. He works in construction at LAX.

Juan Jimenez, 26, Luis’ friend and co-worker, said when he heard about the shooting, he rushed down to the scene with his girlfriend, Brianna Ojeda, and some friends he and Luis went to high school with.

“Luis called me this morning to see if I could come pick up the laptop so I could turn time cards in for the guys,” he said. “I asked him what happened and he told me he lost both his girls.”

Bunches of daisies, roses, and brightly colored bouquets decorated the sidewalk, next to a dozen candles, a teddy bear and a picture of Luis, Carina and Jennabel.

Gabriel Sanchez, 26, a longtime friend of Carina’s, said his niece called him Sunday morning and told him a woman had been killed, and she thought it was someone he knew.

“I went online and I opened up a link to the news story and my heart dropped,” he said. “I just started shaking. I couldn’t keep still.”

Sanchez said he first met Carina at Washington Middle School when the two were in seventh grade. Over the years, they kept in touch, off and on.

“Any time I ran into her, it was like time hadn’t passed. Still the same, joking and laughing,” he said. “She was a real cool person. She had a good heart. I never thought her time would be up at this age.”

Friends and family set up a Go Fund Me page for the father of the girl and husband of the mother.

“Our family is heartbroken with this tragic event, and we hope that you can help us give these two beautiful souls a graceful resting place,” the page says.

Long Beach police said detectives believe people in the area witnessed the crime and urged them to come forward. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to call detectives Scott Lasch and Michael Hubbard at 562-570-7244.

Anonymous tips can be submitted at 1-800-222-8477, texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or visit lacrimestoppers.org/.