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

[Mamamerced]

Local Malibu reporting lots of LE at Malibu Canyon and Mullholand Dr. More at Piuma And Monte Nido area
. "something's going on".

The Local Malibu

<mod note: added link>

 

[Harmony 2]

Here we go...

... a camper speaks:

Murder of Young Father Next to His Daughters at Campground 'Sounded like Four Shots': Camper (People)

Her peaceful slumber was shattered hours later, around 4 a.m. on June 22, when she woke abruptly to the sound of gunfire.​

“It sounded like four shots, one after another,” McClelland recalls, noting that perhaps what she heard included reverberations from the canyon walls. “I am not sure if it was actually four gunshots, but it sounded like four clear gunshots.”​

Multiple gunshots...

Thank you for posting that link.
If true and there were four gunshots, Tristan probably sat up after hearing the first couple of shots.

I found this statement in the article interesting:

The 27-year-old college student set up her tent in a canyon in the park and spent some time with her fellow church mates from Glendale Presbyterian before she went to bed around 11 p.m.

“It was super quiet,” she tells PEOPLE. “Not a ton of people there yet.”

 

[gitana1]

I find difficult to accept any assertions that this investigation may be slowed down by under staffing in the Sheriff Dept. or lack of coordination among relevant law enforcement agencies.
I would not doubt the possibility that L.A. County Sheriff was caught flat-footed initially, maybe as long as the initial 72 - 96 hours.
However, my gut feeling is that, because of the circumstances and victims of this shooting, LASD has placed their best people in charge on this one. They are being provided whatever resources are needed, without regard to budgets or departmental shortages.
And they same can be said for any other local, state or federal agencies whose assistance has been enlisted in the investigative effort.

At this point I agree. Knowing that the main agency is handling this and not just the substation, I feel more confident.

Here we go...

... a camper speaks:

Murder of Young Father Next to His Daughters at Campground 'Sounded like Four Shots': Camper (People)

Her peaceful slumber was shattered hours later, around 4 a.m. on June 22, when she woke abruptly to the sound of gunfire.​

“It sounded like four shots, one after another,” McClelland recalls, noting that perhaps what she heard included reverberations from the canyon walls. “I am not sure if it was actually four gunshots, but it sounded like four clear gunshots.”​

Multiple gunshots...

If it was actually four shots, I would feel that's out of character for the random shooter. If two, maybe connected to the random shooter. But more than two? Seems more like someone intent on making sure that particular person was killed.

I don't know.

 

[Roadtripper]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest. I was one of the other campers there when the murder happened. I’m not totally sure why it’s taken so long to hear from any of us. I was never told not to say anything about the case I think mostly I was quite shell shocked and reluctant to say anything after details were not told to the public. Since a camper has talked to People magazine I guess more of the story will come out. The main detail to me that has been missing and really separates this shooting from the others in the area is that what I heard was multiple shots fired rapidly. I thought I heard six shots but my wife and others said they heard five. To me it sounded like a semi-automatic as the shots came very quickly in a group. There would’ve been no time to react between the first shot and the last.

 

[ScorpioRising]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest. I was one of the other campers there when the murder happened. I’m not totally sure why it’s taken so long to hear from any of us. I was never told not to say anything about the case I think mostly I was quite shell shocked and reluctant to say anything after details were not told to the public. Since a camper has talked to People magazine I guess more of the story will come out. The main detail to me that has been missing and really separates this shooting from the others in the area is that what I heard was multiple shots fired rapidly. I thought I heard six shots but my wife and others said they heard five. To me it sounded like a semi-automatic as the shots came very quickly in a group. There would’ve been no time to react between the first shot and the last.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and so sorry you had to experience this. I can only imagine that you would still be very shocked. Did it sound like the shots were coming from outside of the campground? Far away or rather close?

 

[Roadtripper]

Thanks, it’s probably the most scared I’ve been in my life. It sounded fairly close to me. I estimate our tent was about 60-70 yards from TB’s

 

[passepartout]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest. I was one of the other campers there when the murder happened. I’m not totally sure why it’s taken so long to hear from any of us. I was never told not to say anything about the case I think mostly I was quite shell shocked and reluctant to say anything after details were not told to the public.

Thanks for joining in. As you can see, there's a small contingent of us who've been quite focused on these shootings and for those of us who have friends/family/experience in the area, the lack of information has been a major cause for worry.

Sorry that you and your wife had to go through this on what should have been a pleasant and peaceful camping trip.

 

[pocketaccent]

I’ve been following this thread with great interest. I was one of the other campers there when the murder happened. I’m not totally sure why it’s taken so long to hear from any of us. I was never told not to say anything about the case I think mostly I was quite shell shocked and reluctant to say anything after details were not told to the public. Since a camper has talked to People magazine I guess more of the story will come out. The main detail to me that has been missing and really separates this shooting from the others in the area is that what I heard was multiple shots fired rapidly. I thought I heard six shots but my wife and others said they heard five. To me it sounded like a semi-automatic as the shots came very quickly in a group. There would’ve been no time to react between the first shot and the last.

Oh wow! First, welcome to our forum. Nice to meet you!

If possible, please tell us all that you know about that morning.

-What time did you hear the shots?
-After the shots, did you hear anything else? Like someone running or any other sound...
-Did other campers come out of tents after the shots were fired?
-Did you call 911 or know who called 911?
-Did LE interview each or any of the campers that morning? Were you told to pack up and leave immediately?
-Did you see Tristan's two daughters?
-Did you notice anything suspicious the night before or that morning?

 

[passepartout]

Also, Roadtripper, can you talk about what happened at the campground in the immediate aftermath of the shots? Did it wake people up? Did you hear people moving around in response to the noise? Did you call 911 or were you aware of others making those emergency calls?

 

[Roadtripper]

We didn’t spend a lot of time at the campground on the 21st. My family was on a road trip down the west coast. We setup camp in late afternoon, then left the grounds to go to Santa Monica pier. We arrived back a little before 10. We knew we couldn’t get back in to the campground after 10 as there would be spikes on the road and we didn’t have a whole lot of time to spare so I’m guessing we were one of the last vehicles in.
When I heard the shots, I grabbed my phone and the screen lit up and I am fairly certain that it was 4:27. I did not have phone service and turned off my phone screen quickly. My thoughts at that moment were that there was an active shooter in the park. I quickly dressed and tried to look out of the flaps in the tent door that I had let down for airflow. It was still extremely dark and I could not see anything. I heard a baby cry out and thought he or she must’ve been been awakened by the shots.
I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much. I was afraid to leave my tent as I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I was awake. My wife and four kids were all in the tent and I feared for our lives.
A little while later I heard a male voice call out “Help, somebody help me”. Almost immediately after that I heard a female voice say “shots fired” and assumed someone with phone service had called 911.
A very short time after that, the campground road was filled with SUVs and squad cars traveling very fast on the campground road, searching the area with spotlights. A fire truck showed up shortly after that, then an ambulance.
Sheriff deputies came and got statements from all campers and we were told that we couldn’t leave. If I remember correctly it was close to 1pm before we left. No one had come back to say we could leave but we saw other campers leaving so we tried to head out. We had to check with law enforcement as we left the park.

 

[SoHelpMeGod]

I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much. I was afraid to leave my tent as I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I was awake. My wife and four kids were all in the tent and I feared for our lives.

Like the others I want to welcome you to the discussion, and say how sorry I am that you and your family had to experience this. I can't imagine how terrifying this must have been! Glad you and your family are OK .

 

[1&2&3]

Roadtripper, welcome to WS. We are so glad to have you and be able to get an actual accounting of what happened that tragic night.

From reading your description of being awakened by the gunshots, one can feel the terror you felt not knowing where the shots were coming from, if the shooter was going from tent to tent, or exactly what was happening. We are so spoiled by our phones, I am sure your heart sank when you didn’t have service.

Thank goodness someone did have service and was able to get through.

We appreciate you joining us and we will probably have a dozen questions for you. Hope you and your family have settled down from this horrible experience that you went through.

 

[pocketaccent]

We didn’t spend a lot of time at the campground on the 21st. My family was on a road trip down the west coast. We setup camp in late afternoon, then left the grounds to go to Santa Monica pier. We arrived back a little before 10. We knew we couldn’t get back in to the campground after 10 as there would be spikes on the road and we didn’t have a whole lot of time to spare so I’m guessing we were one of the last vehicles in.
When I heard the shots, I grabbed my phone and the screen lit up and I am fairly certain that it was 4:27. I did not have phone service and turned off my phone screen quickly. My thoughts at that moment were that there was an active shooter in the park. I quickly dressed and tried to look out of the flaps in the tent door that I had let down for airflow. It was still extremely dark and I could not see anything. I heard a baby cry out and thought he or she must’ve been been awakened by the shots.
I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much. I was afraid to leave my tent as I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I was awake. My wife and four kids were all in the tent and I feared for our lives.
A little while later I heard a male voice call out “Help, somebody help me”. Almost immediately after that I heard a female voice say “shots fired” and assumed someone with phone service had called 911.
A very short time after that, the campground road was filled with SUVs and squad cars traveling very fast on the campground road, searching the area with spotlights. A fire truck showed up shortly after that, then an ambulance.
Sheriff deputies came and got statements from all campers and we were told that we couldn’t leave. If I remember correctly it was close to 1pm before we left. No one had come back to say we could leave but we saw other campers leaving so we tried to head out. We had to check with law enforcement as we left the park.

We didn’t spend a lot of time at the campground on the 21st. My family was on a road trip down the west coast. We setup camp in late afternoon, then left the grounds to go to Santa Monica pier. We arrived back a little before 10. We knew we couldn’t get back in to the campground after 10 as there would be spikes on the road and we didn’t have a whole lot of time to spare so I’m guessing we were one of the last vehicles in.
When I heard the shots, I grabbed my phone and the screen lit up and I am fairly certain that it was 4:27. I did not have phone service and turned off my phone screen quickly. My thoughts at that moment were that there was an active shooter in the park. I quickly dressed and tried to look out of the flaps in the tent door that I had let down for airflow. It was still extremely dark and I could not see anything. I heard a baby cry out and thought he or she must’ve been been awakened by the shots.
I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much. I was afraid to leave my tent as I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I was awake. My wife and four kids were all in the tent and I feared for our lives.
A little while later I heard a male voice call out “Help, somebody help me”. Almost immediately after that I heard a female voice say “shots fired” and assumed someone with phone service had called 911.
A very short time after that, the campground road was filled with SUVs and squad cars traveling very fast on the campground road, searching the area with spotlights. A fire truck showed up shortly after that, then an ambulance.
Sheriff deputies came and got statements from all campers and we were told that we couldn’t leave. If I remember correctly it was close to 1pm before we left. No one had come back to say we could leave but we saw other campers leaving so we tried to head out. We had to check with law enforcement as we left the park.

Thank you so much. What a harrowing experience that day must have been.
You gave us many new and useful information!

Roadtripper:
"When I heard the shots, I grabbed my phone and the screen lit up and I am fairly certain that it was 4:27.

It was still extremely dark and I could not see anything.

I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much.

A little while later I heard a male voice call out “Help, somebody help me”. Almost immediately after that I heard a female voice say “shots fired” and assumed someone with phone service had called 911.

Sheriff deputies came and got statements from all campers and we were told that we couldn’t leave."

 

[ScorpioRising]

We didn’t spend a lot of time at the campground on the 21st. My family was on a road trip down the west coast. We setup camp in late afternoon, then left the grounds to go to Santa Monica pier. We arrived back a little before 10. We knew we couldn’t get back in to the campground after 10 as there would be spikes on the road and we didn’t have a whole lot of time to spare so I’m guessing we were one of the last vehicles in.
When I heard the shots, I grabbed my phone and the screen lit up and I am fairly certain that it was 4:27. I did not have phone service and turned off my phone screen quickly. My thoughts at that moment were that there was an active shooter in the park. I quickly dressed and tried to look out of the flaps in the tent door that I had let down for airflow. It was still extremely dark and I could not see anything. I heard a baby cry out and thought he or she must’ve been been awakened by the shots.
I listened by the door for any kind of movement and didnt hear much. I was afraid to leave my tent as I didn’t want to call attention to the fact that I was awake. My wife and four kids were all in the tent and I feared for our lives.
A little while later I heard a male voice call out “Help, somebody help me”. Almost immediately after that I heard a female voice say “shots fired” and assumed someone with phone service had called 911.
A very short time after that, the campground road was filled with SUVs and squad cars traveling very fast on the campground road, searching the area with spotlights. A fire truck showed up shortly after that, then an ambulance.
Sheriff deputies came and got statements from all campers and we were told that we couldn’t leave. If I remember correctly it was close to 1pm before we left. No one had come back to say we could leave but we saw other campers leaving so we tried to head out. We had to check with law enforcement as we left the park.

It sounds like you did get a chance to talk to other campers. Did anybody hear any other movement or did other campers express opinions from which direction the shots seemed to have come from?

 

[Roadtripper]

No one really talked about the direction of the shots. All I could tell is that when the sun came up and I could see where the crime scene was the shots did come from that direction. My campsite was basically across the loop so behind me if I was facing that direction was trees.

 

[Roadtripper]

Thank you all for the kind words. My heart breaks for the family of TB. It sickens me that someone could commit such an evil act and that they are still out there free.

 

[ScorpioRising]

Thank you all for the kind words. My heart breaks for the family of TB. It sickens me that someone could commit such an evil act and that they are still out there free.

Those poor kids. Iam so sad for his family too. So heartbreaking. So few details..no press conference and no clear warning to daytime hikers. The whole situation is just so confusing.

 

[pocketaccent]

Thank you all for the kind words. My heart breaks for the family of TB. It sickens me that someone could commit such an evil act and that they are still out there free.

(Sorry, but) May I ask you bluntly this question? Do you feel it was a target kill by someone or a random shooting?

 

[ScorpioRising]

Thank you all for the kind words. My heart breaks for the family of TB. It sickens me that someone could commit such an evil act and that they are still out there free.

Did you reserve a specific spot ahead of time or did you just make a reservation and were assigned your spot once you got there?

 

[Roadtripper]

(Sorry, but) May I ask you bluntly this question? Do you feel it was a target kill by someone or a random shooting?

I’m not any kind of expert on this type of thing so this is just my opinion based on what I heard. I don’t think there is anyway this was a shotgun. It sounded like a smaller caliber weapon. The shots were extremely fast. I have no idea if the motive was random or not but don’t know how someone could randomly shoot that many shots into the tent without hitting anyone else unless they could somehow see their target and have incredible accuracy.