A father who was shot and killed in front of his 2- and 4-year-old daughters last week has been identified as a scientist from Irvine, California.

Tristan Beaudette, 35, was camping with his daughters in Malibu Creek State Park, Calabasas, when he was fatally shot in the upper torso on Friday. He was found by deputies in his tent, along with his daughters, around 5 a.m.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Rodney Moore told The Los Angeles Times that he believed the two girls were in the tent with their father when he was shot. “We are working this as a homicide at this point,” he told the newspaper. “We are gathering evidence . . . it will take some time.”

Beaudette worked for a pharmaceutical company and held a PhD in chemistry from University of California, Berkeley, according to his LinkedIn page. He and his wife, Erica, a doctor, were preparing to move their family to the Bay Area and take up new jobs.

“They were about to embark on a new chapter in their lives. And then it was all taken away, by a fatal gun shot in the middle of the night, in front of his two young daughters,” reads a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of the Beaudette family. At the time of publishing the page has raised $66,690. “Not a second goes by that we aren’t grappling with the senselessness of this crime.”

The campground was nearly full at the time of the shooting, according to CBS. Authorities have closed at least 60 campsites in the park until June 28 as sheriff’s detectives search for the shooter. Police have not revealed any suspects, motives or leads.

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Ciara Nugent at ciara.nugent@time.com.