Residents Terrorized By Unsolved Shootings In Malibu State Park

CALABASAS, CA – The mysterious shooting death of an Irvine father at Malibu Creek State Park in June is not believed to have been gang-related and remains under investigation, a sheriff's department commander said.

Dozens of local residents attended a community meeting on state park land near the campground where 35-year-old Tristan Beaudette was shot to death. At the meeting, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore said investigators still haven't determined a suspect or a motive in the killing, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

He and other investigators at an auditorium at King Gillette Ranch said they needed help from tipsters to identify the suspect or suspects responsible for Beaudette's death.

Beaudette, a father of two young daughters, was shot to death at a campground in Malibu Creek State Park on June 22, 2018. He was killed early on the morning of June 22 while he was sleeping in a tent at the campground with his 2- and 4-year-old daughters. A coroner's office spokesman said he died from a single gunshot wound to the head before sheriff's investigators placed a security hold on any more information about his death.

Sheriff's investigators have so far refused to divulge much information about the killing, saying that doing so could taint the investigation, according to the Daily News.

A lack of answers in the investigation led to confusion and rumors among locals, especially in Monte Nido, an affluent neighborhood just southeast of the entrance of Malibu Creek State Park where some residents have said they now fear using the park's hiking trails.

Just as troubling for locals was the fact that after Beaudette's death, sheriff's officials said they investigated six other reports of shootings or calls about possible gunfire occurring near the park going back to November 2016.

Since Beaudette's death, sheriff's deputies have responded to at least nine reports of gunfire in the area.

A fundraiser was set up for the Beaudette family while they recover from their loss. For more information or to donate to the Go Fund Me page, click here.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Go Fund Me is a Patch promotional partner; Images courtesy of the Go Fund Me