Joshua Ketchum was 27 years old when he died on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, in Lancaster. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds in the 43000 block of Gadsden Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department case.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore, Ketchum was in his apartment when a man, whom Moore described as Black, tried to force his way inside about 10 p.m. "What happened is very unclear," Moore told the Los Angeles Times. "We don't know if it was an argument or physical altercation, but whatever happened it started inside and somehow ended up outside." Ketchum was stabbed in the mid-torso and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:39 p.m., according to coroner's records. "The victim was confronted by the suspect and a physical altercation occurred," Deputy Charles Moore of the Sheriff's Information Bureau said.
The suspect was last seen running from the apartment complex on foot.
The Los Angeles Times noted that the Antelope Valley Times had quoted an unnamed news videographer at the scene who said Ketchum was stabbed with a broken bottle. A few days later, KFI AM 640 reported that friends and family were calling him a hero. According to friends, when the man tried to force his way into the home, Ketchum "stepped in between the attacker and his friend." The attacker grabbed a nearby beer bottle and tried to stab Ketchum's roommate, the station reported, and "instead, Ketchum took the impact of the bottle." His family said Ketchum had autism and "was only acting under instinct to protect someone who was like family to him." Friends set up a GoFundMe account and organized a car wash to help pay for his funeral. As of that report, the suspect had not been arrested.
Lancaster is the largest city in the Antelope Valley, the high desert region of northern Los Angeles County, on the far side of the San Gabriel Mountains from the Los Angeles basin. It is a city of residential neighborhoods, apartment complexes, shopping centers and wide desert boulevards, and it has long been tied to the aerospace industry and to nearby Edwards Air Force Base. Lancaster contracts with the Sheriff's Department for its police services, which are provided by the Lancaster Station.
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 Joshua Ketchum could be found in news archives or public records. More than seven years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. The man who forced his way in that night was seen by at least one person inside the apartment and fled on foot through the complex. Anyone who lived near the 43000 block of Gadsden Avenue in January 2018, who saw a man running from the area that Saturday night, or who later heard someone talk about the fight, may hold information that could help detectives. 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 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
