(RNN) – A 35-year-old father was killed in front of his two young daughters inside a tent last week while camping in Southern California, in a crime the family has described as “senseless.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that Tristan Beaudette, a scientist, was shot in his upper torso at least once. The killing happened shortly before 5 a.m.
Police have yet to identify a suspect or possible motive in the shooting.
Beaudette’s family released a statement to the paper saying: “His selfless devotion to his children came naturally, and Tristan found true joy in all aspects of being a father. The grief and trauma this loss has caused our close-knit family is indescribable.”
A GoFundMe set up by the family on behalf of Beaudette’s wife, Erica, said he was “doing something he adored in life, being in the outdoors with his two young girls.”
The page said the family was planning to move north to the Bay Area to take new jobs.
“Not a second goes by that we aren’t grappling with the senselessness of this crime,” the page said.
The fund has raised more than $79,000, eclipsing its original $25,000 goal. In an update on the page, the family said it was “overwhelmed by all the generosity and kind words.”
KCAL reported Beaudette worked for a pharmaceutical company and had a PhD in chemistry from the University of California Berkeley.
The station reported he was found by law enforcement bleeding in the tent, and Rodney Moore with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told The Times that “the theory we are working with is he was shot inside the tent” while his two girls, ages 2 and 4, were inside.
“Tristan, you were such an amazing father, husband, son, and brother,” the GoFundMe page said. “We are all so fortunate to have known you for your short time on Earth. You were taken from us far too early.”
The campground was at Malibu Creek State Park, notable for being the set of M*A*S*H and a filming site for a number of movies.
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