The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department transported the bodies of three fallen deputies to the coroner’s officer, after the three deputies were killed in an explosion at a training facility in East Los Angeles.
The Brief
An explosion occurred around 7:25 a.m. at an LA County Sheriff’s Department facility in East Los Angeles.
Three LA County deputies with the arson explosive detail team were confirmed dead.
Investigators are working to determine if explosives found at a Santa Monica apartment earlier in the week are tied to the deadly explosion.
What we know:
The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a report of an explosion around 7:25 a.m. at the facility located in the 1000 block of Eastern Avenue, near the 710 Freeway.
The training center was evacuated and roads in the area were closed as the investigation continued. The impact of the explosion was so powerful it broke the windows of patrol cars in the parking lot.
The facility serves the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau and Arson/Explosives Detail.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into the post-blast investigation and is being assisted by the ATF, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a news conference on Friday.
“There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know. But our intent is to look at this from the very beginning and figure out what is it exactly that caused this tragic event,” Luna said.
Explosion at training facility
What we don’t know:
While the official cause of the explosion is under investigation, preliminary information indicates this was a possible training accident.
It’s unclear what type of explosive materials were being handled by the deputies.
The deputies were identified as detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. They were all assigned to the Special Enforcement Bureau’s Arson Explosives Detail, according to the department.
Luna said the deputies had a combined 74 years of service between them at 19 years, 22 years and 33 years.
LASD deputies killed in explosion identified
Three LASD deputies were killed in an explosion in East LA on Friday. Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn had decades of experience in the department.
“I have met with two of the three families thus far. And as you can imagine, those were extremely challenging conversations,” Luna said, holding back tears.
The deputies had 20 plus years of experience in the field of arson/explosives. Two of the deputies provided security for the LA County Board of Supervisors.
Link to Santa Monica apartment
According to law enforcement, the deadly explosion may be linked to a Santa Monica apartment complex.
Officials say on Wednesday construction workers were installing EV chargers when they found grenades in a former tenant’s personal storage unit. The bomb squad was then called in. LASD officials say the grenades found at the apartment, located at 821 Bay Street, were related to today’s explosion. LASD homicide investigators were at the apartment Friday afternoon.