A community is demanding answers after a 24-year-old black man was found hanging from a tree this week in northern Los Angeles County.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m. Monday, a passerby noticed a man, later identified as Robert L. Fuller, hanging from a tree in Palmdale, California. Fire department personnel who responded to the scene determined he was dead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Palmdale city described it as “an alleged death by suicide.”
“Sadly, it is not the first such incident since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” the city said in a statement that included information on resources for mental health.
On Friday, dozens of people gathered at the Palmdale city council chambers to attend a news conference on the death. When a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department announced the preliminary findings, outraged crowds demanded an investigation and to see footage of the incident.
A city official said there was no footage and it was an ongoing investigation, with a full autopsy underway.
“We will fully cooperate with the Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County’s Coroner’s Offices, and any and all investigative agencies looking into the matter,” Hofbauer said.
“We are awaiting all available details surrounding this tragedy. In addition, we are working with local community leaders to increase the dialogue on how we can best work together and build a safer and more inclusive community,” he added.
Investigators have been in contact with Fuller’s family members and are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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