3 deputies killed in East L.A. explosion leave behind 16 children

A increasing memorial sits extracurricular the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department grooming halfway successful East Los Angeles wherever 3 seasoned deputies were killed Friday successful a deadly explosion.

The fallen deputies — Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn — served a combined 74 years with the department. Between them, they permission down 16 children and devastated families inactive trying to process what happened.

“There are nary words to explicit the symptom and sorrow we feel,” said L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna. “These heroes represented the champion of our Department, exemplifying courage, integrity, and selfless service. This is not lone a heartbreaking nonaccomplishment for their families, but for each of us.”

Flowers, candles and handwritten messages present enactment the perimeter of the Biscailuz Regional Training Center connected Eastern Avenue, wherever the blast occurred around 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. Deputies person remained posted astatine the site, which is present a transgression country nether progressive investigation.

On Saturday morning, a visibly shaken radical of deputies visited the increasing memorial. Among them was L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who laid flowers.

Authorities accidental the detonation happened portion the detectives — each portion of LASD’s elite Arson Explosives Detail — were moving undetonated explosives recovered from a Santa Monica flat the nighttime before. The squad had been called to a residential analyzable connected Bay Street to region a stash of perchance volatile devices.

When 1 of those devices was being handled astatine the East L.A. installation the adjacent morning, it unexpectedly detonated.

The unit of the blast shattered windows and acceptable disconnected car alarms from astir 100 feet away. Despite aboriginal reports of aggregate injuries, Sheriff Luna aboriginal confirmed that the 3 detectives were the lone casualties.

“This is the largest nonaccomplishment of beingness for america arsenic the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department since 1857,” Luna said. "They are fantastic experts, and unfortunately, I mislaid 3 of them today.”

Officials person not said who made oregon stored the device, but noted that transgression charges could beryllium filed depending connected what investigators learn. The national Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is present starring the investigation, alongside the FBI and LAPD weaponry squad.

ATF has besides deployed its elite National Response Team — a specialized portion of national agents, explosives experts, forensic scientists, engineers and a K-9 — to the East L.A. grooming center. The squad is lone activated for the nation’s astir superior and analyzable occurrence and detonation cases; this marks conscionable the 14th activation this fiscal year, underscoring the gravity of an incidental that claimed the lives of 3 seasoned instrumentality enforcement officers.

On Friday evening, a solemn procession escorted the fallen deputies’ bodies from the grooming halfway to the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s office. First responders, metropolis leaders, and grieving colleagues lined the 3.5-mile way to salute their fallen.

The section has since released further accusation astir the deputies:

• Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, a erstwhile narcotics serviceman who joined LASD successful 2006, was joined and the begetter of 7 children.
  
• Detective Victor Lemus, a erstwhile K-9 serviceman who joined successful 2003, leaves down a woman and 3 daughters.
  
• Detective William Osborn, a longtime arson researcher and patrol lawman who joined successful 1992, had a woman and six children.
  

Their corporate work spans much than 7 decades and has near a people connected countless communities.

“They’re radical you spot astatine church,” said 1 section resident. “I’m inactive successful daze they’re gone.”

A day for a nationalist memorial work has not yet been announced.

Omar Lewis contributed to this report.