Scott Gregory Dishmon was 35 years old when he died on Wednesday, June 30, 2004, in Santa Monica. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 1332 6th St. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Santa Monica Police Department.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report recorded his death in a single sentence drawn from coroner's records. It gave his age, listed him as a Black man, and placed his death in Santa Monica. It did not say how he was hurt, who found him, whether the address was his home or whether investigators had identified anyone they wanted to question. No follow-up story appears to have been published.
One small piece of his life does survive. A genealogy record lists a Scott Dishmon who was born on Oct. 27, 1968, and who "died at age 35 years old on June 30, 2004." The dates match the coroner's record. The same record lists him as "of San Francisco," which suggests he may have lived in Northern California at some point, though it does not say when or why he was in Santa Monica.
Beyond that, almost nothing about Scott Gregory Dishmon has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found, and no news outlet appears to have reported on his death. Dishmon is an uncommon surname, and the few other men named Scott Dishmon who turned up in searches are not connected to him. He surely had family and friends who remember him, but none of that has entered the public record.
Because so little has been released, even the basic circumstances remain unknown to the public. The record does not say whether he was beaten in a fight, attacked by a stranger, assaulted indoors or on the street, or struck by a vehicle, all of which can lead to a finding of blunt force trauma. It does not say what time of day he was hurt, whether he died at the scene or later at a hospital, whether anyone saw what happened, or whether investigators ever identified a suspect.
Santa Monica is a beachside city on the western edge of Los Angeles County, surrounded on most sides by the city of Los Angeles. It is known for the Santa Monica Pier and its Ferris wheel, the Third Street Promenade, its wide beaches and its palm-lined bluffs overlooking the Pacific. Its streets mix expensive homes, apartment buildings, shops and offices, and the city has long had a visible population of people living without stable housing. Santa Monica has its own police department.
Hundreds of people are killed in Los Angeles County every year, and a large share of those killings end without an arrest.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Scott Gregory Dishmon could be found in news archives or public records. More than 21 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who lived on or near 6th Street in Santa Monica in June 2004, or who knew a 35-year-old man named Scott Dishmon, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Santa Monica Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
