On Friday afternoon Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna held a press conference to update the public on the investigation into the explosion that killed three of his deputies just over a week ago.
Detectives Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn, all members of LASD's Arson/Explosives Detail, were killed on July 18 while handling a grenade that had been recovered the prior evening from a storage locker at an apartment in Santa Monica. According to investigators and a search warrant issued in the case, two grenades were recovered that night and the detectives initially believed that they were both inert, but took them to the LASD's Biscailuz Center Training Academy to be "destroyed and rendered safe," Luna said.
The second grenade recovered by deputies is "unaccounted for" at this point.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Luna said:
"Today we received an update on the ATF's post-blast explosion investigation and based on the ATF's expertise and the combination of physical evidence and debris recovered at the scene, they have determined that one of the two grenades taken into custody detonated on Friday and one of the grenades is unaccounted for at this time."
How does that happen?
Kenny Cooper, the special agent in charge of the ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division, also spoke and took questions at the presser. He told reporters that explosives specialists and techs from around the country have been brought in to participate in the investigation, that the team had searched/surveyed an area 400 feet from where the blast occurred to both attempt to determine what happened that morning and to find the second grenade. They've determined the type of military grenade that was used and are researching its origin and movements.
DIVE DEEPER: Fatal LA County Sheriff Explosion Reportedly Caused by Military-Style Devices Recovered Thursday
The Los Angeles Times reported earlier in the week, based upon information from law enforcement sources, that one of the technicians had "cut into at least one of the grenades before it detonated," but Luna said that there was no evidence that occurred.
In a follow-up piece, the Times reported:
According to law enforcement sources, investigators learned one of the grenades was missing when they could only find one of the “spoons” — suggesting just one grenade had exploded at the scene.
Neither Cooper or Luna would confirm that both grenades actually made it to the facility. Luna said that the agency is working on the belief that both grenades made it there, but Cooper would only say that one grenade was unaccounted for. Both asked that the public report any explosive devices they might come across but to not attempt to handle them - but said there's no direct danger to the community.
I'm sorry, but if there's an unexploded military grenade somewhere in the Los Angeles area, that's a direct danger.
Cooper said his agency used "drones, we used bucket trucks to look into trees, we searched well beyond and we didn’t do it once."
There are a number of suspects, Luna said, but to protect the integrity of the investigation they're not releasing any information about those suspects. Regarding the investigation in full, Luna said:
“We’re going to turn this upside down, we’re gonna look at everything we can. We need to know what happened. We owe it to the families … I never want this to happen again.”
Luna also announced a change in how his department will handle explosive devices:
"I've also called for an independent after-action review of the policies, practices, and equipment as it relates to our arson explosives detail. Since this tragic incident, all future explosive devices, inert or not, will be treated as if they are all live and will be disposed of accordingly."
That wasn't already the policy?
Just stunning incompetence from this man.
Watch the full press conference below.
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