A well-respected nonprofit leader known for his efforts to curb crime and boost economic development in Santa Monica has been discovered dead alongside his wife in their residence this week.
Jeremy Ferguson, who served as the director of operations at Downtown Santa Monica Inc., was found with fatal gunshot wounds along with his 49-year-old wife, Mandy Zelinka, the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed.
The authorities are currently investigating the case as a murder-suicide, according to statements from the LAPD.
Officers were called to a reported shooting on the 600 block of Superba Avenue at approximately 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, as reported by the LA Times.
While the investigation continues, police have revealed that Ferguson sent a suicide note via email to a friend, which included instructions on how to access the home, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The friend followed the instructions, discovered the tragic scene, and promptly contacted the authorities.
Debbie Lee, the chief executive of Downtown Santa Monica, said in a statement on Wednesday that employees are heartbroken over the death of Ferguson.
‘Jeremy was a cherished member of our team and a true champion for Downtown Santa Monica,’ she said. ‘His passion for placemaking and the dedication he brought to his work each day made a lasting impact. He will be deeply missed.’
Jeremy Ferguson, the director of operations at Downtown Santa Monica, a nonprofit economic development organization for the city, was found dead along with his wife in their Venice home on Tuesday
Ferguson and his wife, 49-year-old Mandy Zelinka, were found with fatal gunshot wounds. Ferguson left a suicide note to his friend, according to the Los Angeles Police Department
Jowanda Dziesinski, who runs a pedicab tour business in Santa Monica, knew both Ferguson and Zelinka, telling the California Post that the couple helped foster art, culture and business in the area after moving there about three years ago.
‘I’m in total shock. It just doesn’t line up for me. He was just full of future projects,’ Dziesinski said. ‘I feel shocked and am upset on a personal level. And I also feel disbelief about the scenario that’s being presented. It doesn’t make sense.’
Downtown Santa Monica is a nonprofit that works with the city to create economic stability and put on community events in the downtown district.
It is funded through property assessments, the business license tax, city contracts and revenue from events.
The couple was well known and respected in the Santa Monica community
Ferguson spent about six years as mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon, a Portland suburb. He also worked at TriMet, Portland’s public transportation agency
Ferguson, who had 25 years of public sector and transit experience, redesigned Santa Monica’s annual holiday ice-skating rink and also helped start the city’s first outdoor roller-skating rink, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Before joining the nonprofit, he served as mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon – a Portland suburb – from 2009 until his resignation in February 2015.
He also spent 17 years working at TriMet, Portland’s public transportation agency. He started out as a bus driver and rose to a customer information manager.
Zelinka, while the couple lived in Portland, was known as a hairstylist and entrepreneur. She also co-founded a salon in the Pearl District and was named one of the city’s top hairstylists in 2016, according to KOIN 6.
