The explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility was the deadliest incident in the history of the law enforcement agency after it killed three seasoned deputies, Sheriff Robert Luna said Friday.
Appearing somber and emotional, Luna said the killed deputies, who were assigned to arson explosives detail, collectively served the LA County for 74 years, with one of them having been with the department for 33 years.
“This is unfortunately the largest loss of life for us as the LA County Sheriff’s Department since 1857,” Luna said.
The sheriff did not release the names of the slain deputies as their relatives were still being notified of the tragedy.
Luna said while he did not know the cause of the explosion, he pledged to uncover what led to the incident.
“Our intent is to look at this from the very beginning and figure out what exactly caused this tragic event,” the sheriff added, saying his homicide detectives are working with the FBI and ATF as well as the LAPD.
The three slain deputies were part of the department’s elite squad called the Special Enforcement Bureau.
“They are the best of the best. The individuals who work out arson explosives detail, they have years of training,” Luna explained.
Law enforcement sources also told NBC Los Angeles that the deputies were moving small “military-style explosives” at the time of the blast. They did not think they were tasked with a dangerous assignment, the sources added.
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who stood behind Luna during the news conference, also told NBC Los Angeles that the cause of the explosion, once determined, must be shared with officials and the public to prevent future events.
“We need to get the facts out there,” Barger said while joining NBCLA’s live coverage via phone. “Accidents still happen, but it’s important to know what happened.”