Community calls for answers after 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. Firefighters who responded to the scene determined he was dead, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
The city of Palmdale described it as "an alleged suicide death".
"Unfortunately, this is not the first such incident since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic," the city said in a statement containing information on mental health resources.
Dozens of people gathered in the Palmdale City Council Chamber on Friday to attend a press conference on the death. When a spokesman for the sheriff's department announced the preliminary findings, indignant crowds demanded an investigation and see images of the incident.
A city official said there was no video and that it was an ongoing investigation, with a full autopsy in progress.
"We will fully cooperate with the sheriff's department, the offices of the Los Angeles County coroner and all the investigative agencies investigating this matter," said Mr. Hofbauer.
"We are awaiting all available details surrounding this tragedy. In addition, we are working with local community leaders to intensify dialogue on how best to 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 to investigate the circumstances of his death, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Read the full story here:
