Local, federal and state officials are beginning their investigations into the explosion at an East Los Angeles sheriff’s training facility that killed three deputies Friday morning, Sheriff Robert Luna said.
The explosion of undetonated ordnance occurred at about 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center at 1060 N. Eastern Ave., killing three longtime members of the Arson/Explosive Detail.
“They are fantastic experts, and unfortunately, I lost three of them today,” Luna said.
That loss of life marks the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s deadliest day since 1857.
The identities of the three dead have not yet been released, though Luna did say they’d been with the LASD for 19, 22 and 33 years.
Luna added that in spite of some media reports, no one else was hurt.
An investigation into the explosion will take place, Luna said.
“There’s a lot more that we don’t know than what we do know,” he said. “But our intent is to look at this from the very beginning and figure out what is it exactly that caused this tragic event.”
The scene was deemed safe only minutes before Luna’s 11:45 a.m. press conference, so the investigation will begin imminently.
That timing, however, precluded Luna from answering many questions asked at the press conference, citing a need to determine the facts before announcing anything.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we just lost three lives,” he said. “We want to make sure we know what happened.”
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