A Long Beach man was shot in a bathroom at Pan American Park on Saturday, July 22, during a family gathering in what many are considering a racially motivated attack.  

Fifty-seven-year-old Frederick Taft was shot at point-blank range by a white suspect according to the victim's family members on Saturday afternoon. 

“He was the person who everyone would call when they needed something [to get] done,” his nephew, David Malonson, 35, said. “He was a jack-of-all-trades uncle.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, there were about 50 people at the family gathering, most of whom were black.

Family friend Sakeena Christmon said she saw a white male walk out of the restroom brandishing a rifle. The man in question was wearing khaki shorts, high socks and a fishing hat, according to Christmon.  

“He came here on a mission to kill,” she said.

Police have yet to release a motive for the killing, but ABC 7 News reports there was a racial slur carved in a nearby bench. 

“It wasn’t a robbery. They didn’t take his wallet. So what else was it?” asked Mareatha Moore, the mother of Taft’s daughter.

The Long Beach Police Department has issued some information about the shooting but refused to tell what weapon was used to commit the murder. Spokesperson Arantxa Chavarria told media the suspect was a white male in his 50s.

“I thought we would get to be old and in our wheelchairs together,” Moore said. “This was the last person you would expect.”

Taft's death comes around the same time as that of 18-year-old Nia Wilson. Some also believe her death was a hate crime. 

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Frederick TaftRacial attack