Derek Pouono, 35

Died May 28, 2011 at 9:46 p.m.

Derek Pouono, a 35-year-old Samoan man, was shot and killed Saturday, May 28, on the northbound 405 Freeway, south of the 710 Freeway in Long Beach, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.

[For the record: An earlier version of this post, based on preliminary information from the coroner's office, listed the victim as an Asian man.]

Puono, of Long Beach, and Reginald Sajonas, a 37-year-old Latino from Anaheim, were discovered in a light-colored SUV just before 10 p.m. on the right shoulder of the northbound 405 Freeway by the Long Beach Boulevard exit, police officials said.

They were pronounced dead at the scene.

California Highway Patrol officials shut down the freeway for about four hours after the incident.

Police are still investigating and are unsure if the victims were killed in a car-to-car shooting or if their bodies were left by the freeway after they were slain, a police spokesman said.

Coroner's records show Sajonas was shot several times in the head, while Pouono had gunshot wounds to the torso and right forearm.

Anyone with information about the killings is asked to contact homicide Dets. Mark McGuire or Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at www.longbeach.gov/police.

KTLA Video: Men killed in Long Beach freeway shooting

— Jason Song