Julian James Taylor, 29

Julian James Taylor, a 29-year-old black man, was fatally shot on Tuesday, Jan. 28, outside a fast food restaurant at the Antelope Valley Mall in the 1200 block of West Rancho Vista Boulevard in Palmdale, according to  Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner records. 

Taylor met a man in the parking lot of Carl's Jr., 1031 W. Ave. P, at the southeast corner of the mall property, about 8:25 p.m., when the meeting went bad, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt Barry Hall. 

"There was a shooting in the parking lot that we believe was a drug deal gone bad," Hall said. "The victim was outside of his car when he was shot and the suspect fled in his own car."

Taylor was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:08 p.m., according to coroner's records. The cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the torso. 

Based on witness accounts, investigators tracked the suspect to a motel in Rosamond, a small town in Kern County, on Feb. 5, Hall said. Frank Marcos Perez, 27, an acquaintance of Taylor's, was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into jail in lieu of $2-million bail. 

Perez was charged with murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm on Feb. 7, but his arraignment has been continued to March 4 at the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse.  

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @latimeshomicide on Twitter.