LOS ANGELES (AP) — A state investigation has found that the deaths of three Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in a grenade explosion last year involved “willful” and serious safety violations in the department, including failure to provide effective training and leaving explosives unattended.
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued eight citations resulting in about $350,000 in fines in January. The sheriff’s department is appealing the citations, according to the state. The results of the investigation were first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The July 2025 explosion in the parking lot of a training facility killed detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn of the arson and explosives team. It was one of the department’s worst losses of life in a single incident…