3 LA County Sheriff's Deputies Killed in Grenade Explosion During Training Exercise

Investigation into Deputy Fatalities

• ⚠️ Three Sheriff's Deputies were tragically killed in an explosion at a training facility in East LA.
• 🔍 The incident is under investigation to determine the exact cause of the blast.

Discovery and Initial Assessment of Grenades

• 📍 A law enforcement source suggests the explosives, identified as military-style grenades, were found in a Santa Monica storage unit.
• 👤 The grenades were reportedly owned by a former U.S. military member who had stolen them during training.
• 📊 Deputies from the Arson Explosives Detail were called to dispose of the grenades on a Thursday.
• 💡 They X-rayed the grenades on-site and believed them to be inert, meaning they would not explode.

Training Exercise Leads to Fatal Explosion

• 🚚 The deputies transported the grenades back to their East LA headquarters.
• ✂️ The following morning, believing the devices were safe due to the prior X-ray, deputies decided to cut one grenade in half as a training exercise to examine its contents.
• 💥 This action resulted in the device exploding, leading to the deaths of the three deputies.
• ❓ The source indicates this was a tragic mistake or accident, though the Sheriff's Department has not confirmed this information.

Honoring the Fallen Deputies

• 🎖️ The three deputies killed had a combined 74 years of service with the Sheriff's Department.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Deputy Joshua Kelley Eklund, who joined in 2006, is survived by his wife and seven children.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Detective Victor Lemus, who joined in 2003, was married with three daughters.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Detective William Osborne, a long-time arson investigator who joined in 1992, is survived by his wife and six children.
• 🗓️ Plans for a public memorial service have not yet been announced.