Sean B. Cowen, 24

Sean B. Cowen, a 24-year-old white male, was fatally shot on Wednesday, Jan. 16, on Rancho Center Drive at City Ranch Road, about a half mile south of Elizabeth Lake Road in Palmdale, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators. 

Cowen, a resident of Van Nuys, was one of four men who were shot on the remote, unlighted road around 11 p.m. that night. 

Three of the men, including Cowen, were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth man called 911 to report he had been shot in the face. The survivor was taken to a Palmdale  hospital that night, and later transferred to an undisclosed location for more "specialized medical care," Lt. Derrick Alfred said Tuesday.

The other dead were listed as David Adalberto Hernandez-Licona, a 25-year-old Latino from Boyle Heights, and Olukayode A. “Kayode” Owolabi, a 27-year-old black male formerly from New York who most recently resided in the South Bay community of Westchester, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records. 

Cowen was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:50 p.m., according to coroner's records. 

The survivor, identified only as male, has out-of-state identification and family, Alfred said. Investigators have not released any other information about the man except to say he is in intensive care but expected to recover. 

Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting, Alfred said, and are not releasing any more details. 

One resident in the remote area reported hearing about 20 gunshots around 11 p.m. that evening, and then a single shot 10 minutes later, The Times reported.  He said the rounds sounded like semiautomatic gunfire. 

Alfred said investigators aren't releasing any information about the spent rounds found at the shooting site. No guns were found at the scene. 

The victims were in the front seats of two cars, and were shot where they sat, according to Alfred. He described the cars as a Toyota Camry sedan and an Audi SUV.

Cowen was recognized on Be-Mag for his skills as a “blader,” or rollerblader. The site included a 3-minute video of his work from 2010, according to the date on YouTube.    

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.