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Father of 9 identified as gunshot victim found dead near Riverside park

Cedric Omarr Dempsey, 32, is seen in undated photos with his wife. (Courtesy of Riverside Police Department)

The gunshot victim found dead behind a Riverside park earlier this week was identified as a 32-year-old father of nine from Perris, police said Thursday.

The body of Cedric Omarr Dempsey was discovered by a park employee around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Officers arrived and found that Dempsey had been fatally shot.

Homicide detectives and a forensics team were called to the scene to investigate the killing.

It’s unclear who shot the young man and no suspect description was available.

“We believe there were other people inside the park when this shooting occurred who have not yet come forward,” police said in a statement.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bryon Adcox at 951-353-7134 or jadcox@riversideca.gov, or Detective Josh Ontko at 951-353-7135 or jontko@riversideca.gov. Those who prefer to provide a tip anonymously can can email rpdtips@riversideca.gov.