The explosion that killed three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies Friday morning was not the first time they were killed by a deputy deputy during training.
The explosion at the Biscaluze Training Center in East Los Angeles was the deadliest day in department history since 1857, Sheriff Robert Luna said.
However, the recent death at the training facility occurred last year when a deputy died in a fire at the shooting range due to Burns.
In the chaos, about 150 dead represent the majority of the murdered people were killed – shot by suspects, hit by friendly fires, hit by heart attacks at work, and killed in car, motorcycle and plane crashes.
Events such as Friday explosions that occurred in the training center parking lot will surely bring more scrutiny and potential legal liability.
Three representatives who have not yet publicly identified their deaths – said to be veterans in the professional department. Luna told reporters at a noon press conference that it could take several months to get what happened.
The family of agents who died last year are now prosecuting the sheriff’s department, accusing the negligence of the high school community of negligence that created a dangerous environment. State regulators have fined more than $300,000 for alleged violations of safety within the range of shooting.
A law enforcement officer who has no right to speak publicly told The Times that the deputies who were killed at the Biscaruze Center on Friday were transporting an explosive device.
Luna said the representatives were assigned details of the arson explosion assigned to the department. He described them as “excellent experts” who handled many dangerous calls to collect arms.
Alfredo Flores, the last Los Angeles County sheriff died on duty, succumbed to Burns in April 2024, with a fire breaking out at the shooting range of the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic on October 10, 2023.
Flores, a 22-year-old attorney, father of four, was undergoing regular gun recertification when the trailer style exploded, according to a civil lawsuit filed by his family against the county.
Mark Thorn in his own complaint, the owner on duty that day said he and Flores were trapped inside the blocked door. The complaint said he escaped but did not escape until he suffered a “catastrophic” burn.
The county has not responded to any lawsuit.
Flores’ attorneys claim that the sheriff’s department should be aware of the risk of a fire in the range. Gunpowder, lead and other combustible materials have been established inside the structure, lawyers wrote. They cite citations from the state workplace regulator, who wrote in the shooting range that “accumulated propellant” poses a fire risk.
California’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health imposed more than $300,000 fines in 2024 for suspected illegal acts. Sheriff’s officials appealed the citation.
The Sheriff’s Department closed its range trailer after the deadly fire, which has been used as an affordable alternative to permanent shooting range since the 1980s.
According to an announcement released by the Sheriff’s Department Museum, an alternate agent was killed during a training exercise in 1967. The gun should not be loaded.
The communiqué said Wigson died from gunfire and the second deputy was hit on his arm.
Times worker Richard Winton contributed to the report.
