Shooting Death Of Dad Camping With His Children May Be Related To 7 Past Shootings At The Campground

A dad camping with his two daughters was shot in mysterious circumstances at the Malibu Creek State Park, a popular camping destination for Los Angeles residents. Police suspect that his death might somehow be tied to seven previous shootings that have taken place on the site, according to CNN.

Tristan Beaudette, a 35-year-old research scientist, who worked as an associate director at the pharmaceutical company Allergan, had gone to camp with his two daughters, aged 2 and 4, last week while his wife, Erica, stayed at home to study for an exam. It was not unusual for Beaudette to take his daughters camping without the mother, said a family friend, calling him a “loving father” who would dote on his daughters.

“[He was] so comfortable in nature and as a parent,… it was natural that he would take them on the trip,” said Rabbi Arnie Rachlis of the University Synagogue in Irvine.

On June 22, Beaudette was shot in the head while his two daughters slept beside him inside a tent. The Los Angeles County coroner has declared Beaudette’s death a homicide, with police now scrambling to find possible links between his death and seven previous shootings — the first of which took place in November, 2016.

Scientist Tristan Beaudette died of gunshot to the head, coroner's spokesman confirms. https://t.co/3YBmfOEdmt

— Radar Online (@radar_online) July 1, 2018

The sheriff’s office has been unable to decipher a motive for the killing, and is investigating three previous shootings which took place within the last two years at the Calabasas campground. One of those incidents involved a woman’s car being shot while she was camping with her boyfriend in January, 2017, and another incident saw a man being shot at the same site. There has been no word from the authorities on whether any of those shooting incidents resulted in fatalities, but they are no longer seen as random instances of violence.

The shooting has understandably plunged the family into deep anguish.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our beloved friend, husband, and father, Tristan Beaudette, whose life was tragically cut short by a senseless act of gun violence while on a camping trip with his two young daughters. The grief and trauma this loss has caused our close-knit family is indescribable.”

Rabbi Arnie Rachlis also remembered Beaudette as a loving father, who would often attend events at the University Synagogue, where his daughters would sing and perform onstage.

“Tristan was such a warm human being with this tremendous smile,” said Rachlis, adding that his two daughters were equally drawn to him. “You would see his little girls on stage, performing or singing. And he was riveted to them, adored them, looking at them with a big smile.”

Beaudette’s company also released a statement following his untimely death, saying that he was a truly accomplished research scientist who had helped Allergan in a number of development efforts.

It remains to be seen if the police can find possible connections between the hitherto random instances of shootings that seem to take place regularly at the California site, and if they do, it might finally provide Tristan Beaudette’s family with some closure.