Late on Thursday, February 26, 2026, 40-year-old Byron Prejean of Palmdale was shot multiple times in the rear parking lot of the Palms Inn & Suites on West Palmdale Boulevard and was pronounced dead at the scene around 11:30 p.m. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department opened a homicide investigation; authorities released a preliminary suspect description of a Black adult male with dreadlocks, wearing all black, seen fleeing on foot toward Palmdale Boulevard. No arrests had been announced and the motive remained unclear as of these reports.

Prejean was a devoted father to eleven children and a local kids football coach, remembered by family as caring and generous and active in feeding people experiencing homelessness during the holidays. His family established a GoFundMe for funeral and burial expenses, and a funeral service was scheduled for April 18, 2026, in Gardena.

Does anyone who was in that area late on February 26 have information that could help investigators?