The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Palmdale man fatally shot in Tujunga ID’d

by •

Edward Kates III [Image via gofundme]
TUJUNGA – A Palmdale man found shot to death last week in a vehicle in Tujunga was publicly identified Monday, Aug. 8.

He was 51-year-old Edward Kates III, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

The incident was reported around 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.

Officers sent to the 8100 block of Foothill Boulevard found the man, now identified as Kates, in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Annie Hernandez told City News Service.

Kates was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Detectives were advised a witness was riding his bike and observed the victim in his vehicle unconscious and called 911,” the LAPD news release states. “Detectives are in the process of viewing surveillance video from the area as well as canvassing the area for witnesses and additional evidence.”

No arrests were reported, and no suspect information has been released. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the LAPD Valley Bureau homicide office at 818-374-9550, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

Family members of Kates have created an online fundraiser titled, “Bring his body home to his family.” According to the gofundme page, Kates was a father of five, and the family is trying to get his body from California to Connecticut “to have him put to rest with his mother.”

To donate to this effort, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-his-body-home-to-his-family?.

Previous related story: Palmdale man shot to death in Tujunga; investigation underway

–

9 comments for "Palmdale man fatally shot in Tujunga ID’d"

  1. This senseless crime was horrible and tragic! I am ashamed of the comments I see posted here – starting with “what was he doing in Tujunga?” Not really anyone’s business except his family’s. I can not believe the “insensitivity” I see quite frequently on this site. I suppose I could look away or not look at all – however, the local news is important to myself and many others who live in this community I’m sure. Put your self in this family’s place.

    • Getting shot, apparently.

      I used to work in Tujunga. Nothing good or bad to say about the place on my part.

        • You can get shot pretty much anywhere, and neither Tujunga or Palmdale has any real claim to having a corner on that market.

          I knew a kid that was genuinely proud of his home town leading the nation in murders per capita. I thought that it was pretty weird. Of course at the time he was being charged with having supplied the gun used in a drive by shooting, so his view was obviously a bit warped.

          That was Fresno, by the way.