By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing possible criminal charges connected to the 2025 grenade explosion that killed three sheriff’s detectives, officials said.
• Detectives Victor Lemus, Joshua Kelley-Eklund and William Osborn were killed July 18, 2025, when a grenade detonated at the LASD Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East Los Angeles.
• Investigators traced the military-style grenades to a Santa Monica apartment complex where they had reportedly been abandoned in a storage area.
• Multiple investigations remain active, including probes into the deputies’ deaths, a missing grenade and alleged safety violations tied to explosives handling procedures.
• Prosecutors have not announced whether charges will be filed or identified any potential defendants.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing whether criminal charges should be filed in connection with the 2025 grenade explosion that killed three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives, officials confirmed.
Detectives Victor Lemus, Joshua Kelley-Eklund and William Osborn were killed July 18, 2025, when a grenade detonated at the department’s Biscailuz Center Training Academy in East Los Angeles. Authorities said the detectives were assigned to the sheriff’s arson and explosives unit and had previously recovered two military-style grenades from a Santa Monica apartment complex.
According to investigators, the explosives were located in a storage area connected to a former resident with military special operations experience. Search warrants executed after the blast targeted locations including storage facilities and a yacht connected to the ongoing investigation.
The Sheriff’s Department submitted its criminal investigation findings to prosecutors on April 23, according to department spokesperson Nicole Nishida. Officials have not disclosed who could face charges or what potential charges are under consideration.
Separate investigations by federal and state agencies have identified alleged safety and procedural issues related to explosives handling and training practices before the fatal blast. California workplace safety investigators previously cited the Sheriff’s Department for multiple “willful” safety violations and issued more than $350,000 in fines, findings the department has appealed.