CA - Malibu Creek State Park Shooting, Tristan Beaudette, 35, 22 June 2018 *Arrest* #2

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No worries.

I suppose it's possible (but I've never used one so I'm not sure) that a person could use a headlamp with a red light to get around at night. This is not a strobe light, but a focused light that is used by hunters and others, like campers who want to read in their tents without waking up tent-mates.

I have wondered if night vision goggles have been used by the shooter in some of the shootings.

He seems to be able to move around in the dark and without some sort of night vision it would be difficult.

Night vision goggles have gotten a lot cheaper in recent years. The 2nd pair of goggles in this link are about $350 and that is pretty cheap. Years ago it was hard to find any pair under $1000.

5 Best Night Vision Goggles - July 2018 - BestReviews
 

Quite disturbing. Maybe they need more than patrol cars in the area. Perhaps some officers on foot, wearing camo, night vision goggles, etc. out watching those key spots where gunshots and fires are reported. The officers aren't going to see much from a patrol car if the shooter is hiking around in the scrub brush in the hills. It sounds like he's hiking into these areas - either living nearby or parking his vehicle some distance away.
 
“The deceased person was found off a hiking trail. “

—————

Woman's body found off hiking trail in Topanga

““I think the best message to the public is be carful when it’s hot outside,” Radtke continued. “You know, let people know where you’re going. Hike with friends. Bring water with you.”“

Sounds like she must have collapsed from heat exhaustion.
 

From the above link:

“Sheriff’s homicide detectives have remained tight-lipped about the circumstances of Beaudette’s killing. L.A. County coroner officials said he was killed by a gunshot to the head, but sheriff’s homicide investigators have requested that the full details of the medical examiner’s findings be kept under wraps.

Detectives are trying to keep some of the aspects of the wound confidential and preserve the integrity of the case,” Nishida said.“
 
By now, LASD knows at least the basic ballistics of the TB shooting. This would include ammunition type and distance from which it was fired. They also should have a reasonable grasp on identifying the type of firearm that was used.

From what we know of the Meliss Tantangelo car shooting, a shotgun was used at close range. The ammo was a slug. A single shot was fired.

James Rogers says he was shot at close range. Anyone know the size of the pellets in his arm (different sizes exist for different types of small critters and birds)? Again, it seems to be a single shot. Birdshot can be fired from a shotgun, a rifle or a handgun.

From what we know, no one else reported hearing these gunshots. I note this because the reports are that - from statements LE have made - there was more than one 911 call in the TB incident.

The TB incident has at least one shot. The coroner said (he 'believed') there were not multiple gunshots. On WS, we've pointed to two holes in the tent but we don't know if those holes are connected with the shooting. But TB was shot while inside the tent and the bullet had to come from somewhere.

If it was a shotgun in the TB killing, you'd have more than enough reason to think the shootings might be linked. It appears that in the MT incident, someone approached her car and fired a single shot with a shotgun at close range. Is that what happened with TB?

If TB was shot by a rifle, you might not link the shootings but start looking further afield as to who might have fired a shot out in the canyon at night. Rifles have a much longer range than shotguns and the stray/random/idiot-shooting-at-the-moon scenario is a possibility here. (It's also possible that it was used in the campground in the manner of the MT shooting - walk up to the tent and shoot.)

If it was a handgun, you'd also have to consider that it was fired from within the campground. And then you wonder if there was some kind of nightlight on in the tent (for the kiddies) that allowed its occupants to be discerned from outside.

From the public safety POV, it sounds like we have to be on the lookout for someone walking up to campers in the early-morning hours and firing a single shot. This is different than someone shooting from a car or surrounding property.

Having this information available would in no way compromise the alleged integrity of the investigation.
 
By now, LASD knows at least the basic ballistics of the TB shooting. This would include ammunition type and distance from which it was fired. They also should have a reasonable grasp on identifying the type of firearm that was used.

From what we know of the Meliss Tantangelo car shooting, a shotgun was used at close range. The ammo was a slug. A single shot was fired.

James Rogers says he was shot at close range. Anyone know the size of the pellets in his arm (different sizes exist for different types of small critters and birds)? Again, it seems to be a single shot. Birdshot can be fired from a shotgun, a rifle or a handgun.

From what we know, no one else reported hearing these gunshots. I note this because the reports are that - from statements LE have made - there was more than one 911 call in the TB incident.

The TB incident has at least one shot. The coroner said (he 'believed') there were not multiple gunshots. On WS, we've pointed to two holes in the tent but we don't know if those holes are connected with the shooting. But TB was shot while inside the tent and the bullet had to come from somewhere.

If it was a shotgun in the TB killing, you'd have more than enough reason to think the shootings might be linked. It appears that in the MT incident, someone approached her car and fired a single shot with a shotgun at close range. Is that what happened with TB?

If TB was shot by a rifle, you might not link the shootings but start looking further afield as to who might have fired a shot out in the canyon at night. Rifles have a much longer range than shotguns and the stray/random/idiot-shooting-at-the-moon scenario is a possibility here. (It's also possible that it was used in the campground in the manner of the MT shooting - walk up to the tent and shoot.)

If it was a handgun, you'd also have to consider that it was fired from within the campground. And then you wonder if there was some kind of nightlight on in the tent (for the kiddies) that allowed its occupants to be discerned from outside.

From the public safety POV, it sounds like we have to be on the lookout for someone walking up to campers in the early-morning hours and firing a single shot. This is different than someone shooting from a car or surrounding property.

Having this information available would in no way compromise the alleged integrity of the investigation.

Re BBM
I tend to agree. It sounds to me that in at least some of the cases the person shot just one time and left. This is one reason why I outrule someone target practicing and making a stupid mistake. Because there would be more than just the one shot. Also nobody I know target practices at 4-5 AM in the dark.

One other reason the shooter may prefer to shoot only 1 time is that way he doesnt have to leave a shell casing as evidence.

If he has a pump shotgun or a bolt action rifle and only shoots once and doesnt work the action then there would be no shell casing left.

If the shooter uses a semi-automatic then there would likely be a shell casing ejected unless he found it and picked it up. Not hard to pickup a casing but it could be hard to find it in the dark so I tend the think the shooter maybe using a pump action shotgun.

Wish we knew if the tent shooting was done with a shotgun slug or not. The hole we saw in the tent looked to me that it could have been a shotgun slug round. It was a pretty large hole if we were looking at the bullet hole.
 
Re BBM
I tend to agree. It sounds to me that in at least some of the cases the person shot just one time and left. This is one reason why I outrule someone target practicing and making a stupid mistake. Because there would be more than just the one shot. Also nobody I know target practices at 4-5 AM in the dark.

One other reason the shooter may prefer to shoot only 1 time is that way he doesnt have to leave a shell casing as evidence.

If he has a pump shotgun or a bolt action rifle and only shoots once and doesnt work the action then there would be no shell casing left.

If the shooter uses a semi-automatic then there would likely be a shell casing ejected unless he found it and picked it up. Not hard to pickup a casing but it could be hard to find it in the dark so I tend the think the shooter maybe using a pump action shotgun.

Wish we knew if the tent shooting was done with a shotgun slug or not. The hole we saw in the tent looked to me that it could have been a shotgun slug round. It was a pretty large hole if we were looking at the bullet hole.

Compared to the first two shootings,
the shooter didn't appear to be a very good shot. With TB, there was no room for error or he would have shot the young kids.
 
Quite disturbing. Maybe they need more than patrol cars in the area. Perhaps some officers on foot, wearing camo, night vision goggles, etc. out watching those key spots where gunshots and fires are reported. The officers aren't going to see much from a patrol car if the shooter is hiking around in the scrub brush in the hills. It sounds like he's hiking into these areas - either living nearby or parking his vehicle some distance away.

I had previous suggested that LE should invest in a whole bunch of Trail Game Cameras and set them up all over the place around where other shootings have been reported. They can take nightime pictures with infrared capability.

I know it would be a little expensive but they could buy around 100 of them and scatter them all around. Have some at the entrances to the park so they get a picture of every vehicle entering the area and have the rest scattered in the woods.

They may get lucky and get a picture of the perp carrying a gun.
 
Compared to the first two shootings,
the shooter didn't appear to be a very good shot. With TB, there was no room for error or he would have shot the young kids.

Or TB stood up or sat up to maybe get ready to go to the bathroom and may have lit up the inside of the tent with a flashlight. A person on the outside may have seen him in silouhette.

I have a feeling something like that happened since he was shot in the head.
 
Compared to the first two shootings,
the shooter didn't appear to be a very good shot. With TB, there was no room for error or he would have shot the young kids.

But if we look at the random walk-up one-shot shooter theory, the shooter wouldn't know (or care) if he'd hit anyone.

The shot in the MT shooting could have hit someone. It didn't. The shooter seems to have left the scene without knowing.

With JR, the shot was fired in the direction of the hammock end. Not sure what the shooter's sighting capabilities were in that area. Again, the shooter apparently didn't stick around to find out - JR heard the bang but did not report hearing anyone/anything moving around.

So one question is: do you think TB was targeted? If so, in what way was he targeted? Was the shooting a premeditated hit in which TB was followed to the park for that purpose? Or was the shooter a stranger who was there to shoot someone and decided to shoot TB rather than his daughters? Or did a random shooter see an opportunity to shoot TB when he was standing or sitting up and visible in the tent, without knowing who else might have been in the tent with him?
 
Or TB stood up or sat up to maybe get ready to go to the bathroom and may have lit up the inside of the tent with a flashlight. A person on the outside may have seen him in silouhette.

I have a feeling something like that happened since he was shot in the head.

Looking at the terrain in Googlemaps and various photos, I found a number of places across the stream from the campground, uphill along Mulholland, where it appears that a person could find a secluded spot with a clear view of many campsites. These spots are within range of a good hunting rifle with a good scope. I was unable to determine whether TB's site was one of the visible ones.

I think it was Margarita25 who suggested that the shooter could have texted TB to get him to turn on his phone, and then shot him when the light appeared.
 
Looking at the terrain in Googlemaps and various photos, I found a number of places across the stream from the campground, uphill along Mulholland, where it appears that a person could find a secluded spot with a clear view of many campsites. These spots are within range of a good hunting rifle with a good scope. I was unable to determine whether TB's site was one of the visible ones.

I think it was Margarita25 who suggested that the shooter could have texted TB to get him to turn on his phone, and then shot him when the light appeared.

I agree he could have planted himself in a spot to get a shot at the tent.

Some people leave a light on all the time in the tent and maybe he had a small battery operated lantern on through the whole night. The kids may have been scared of the dark so the father may have kept a light on.

It could have been why he was targeted. Maybe the shooter saw his illuminated tent and waited for him to get up and start moving around.

IMO there is no doubt the shooter was aiming right at his head. The shooter could have had a scope on either a shotgun or a rifle. A lot of people dont realize that scopes can be mounted on shotguns too. Its not as common but some people will mount scopes on shotguns for using slug ammo when deer hunting. Or for turkey hunting a scope on a shotgun is sometimes used.
 
But if we look at the random walk-up one-shot shooter theory, the shooter wouldn't know (or care) if he'd hit anyone.

The shot in the MT shooting could have hit someone. It didn't. The shooter seems to have left the scene without knowing.

With JR, the shot was fired in the direction of the hammock end. Not sure what the shooter's sighting capabilities were in that area. Again, the shooter apparently didn't stick around to find out - JR heard the bang but did not report hearing anyone/anything moving around.

So one question is: do you think TB was targeted? If so, in what way was he targeted? Was the shooting a premeditated hit in which TB was followed to the park for that purpose? Or was the shooter a stranger who was there to shoot someone and decided to shoot TB rather than his daughters? Or did a random shooter see an opportunity to shoot TB when he was standing or sitting up and visible in the tent, without knowing who else might have been in the tent with him?

I really don't know. It was merely an observation. Maybe the shooter is escalating. But it does seem, he has been targeting people and or cars.
Maybe the shooter got tired of missing his targets and decided to get closer and more personal this last time. Maybe he/she will become more careless in the future. Getting too close or too obvious. If he/she likes the publicity, hitting someone in a semi crowded campsite was just the ticket.
 
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