LA County Sheriff identifies three veteran deputies killed in training facility explosion

The Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department has identified the three deputies killed in Friday s training facility explosion at an East Los Angeles County training site The devastating explosion has been considered one of the agency s deadliest internal tragedies in years The blast happened just after a m claiming the lives of Deputies Joshua Kelley-Eklund Victor Lemus and William Osborn All three men were assigned to the Special Enforcement Bureau's Arson Explosives Detail and were described as brave men who served with honor courage and an unwavering commitment to protecting and serving the region the Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department commented There are no words to express the pain and sorrow we feel noted Sheriff Robert Luna These heroes represented the best of our Department exemplifying courage integrity and selfless institution This is not only a heartbreaking loss for their families but for all of us EXECUTIVES OBTAIN SEARCH WARRANT RELATED TO EXPLOSION THAT KILLED DEPUTIES AT LA COUNTY FACILITYThe fallen deputies had a combined years of system according to Luna The LASD distributed a report Friday evening highlighting the arrangement histories of the deputies and each exhibited a long record of dedication specialized training and arrangement across high-risk assignments Detective Steven Kelley-Eklund joined LASD in but served at multiple facilities before becoming a Field Training Officer at South LA Station Kelley-Elund was promoted to Detective with the Narcotics Bureau in and worked with major investigations and arrests He became a certified Arson and Explosive Investigator in He is survived by his wife Jessica and their seven children HUMAN REMAINS DISCOVERED DAYS AFTER DEVASTATING CALIFORNIA FIREWORKS FACILITY EXPLOSIONDetective Victor Lemus began his career at LASD in where he served at Twin Towers and Century Station Lemus reportedly excelled as a Senior Training Officer and Detective He was also touted as a decorated Baker to Vegas runner and a K- handler He joined the Arson and Explosives Unit in He is survived by his wife Detective Nancy Lemus their three daughters and several family members also serving with LASD Detective William Osborn served in patrol investigations and training roles across the county and graduated in He was purportedly a longtime detective with a deep passion for investigative work Osborn joined the Arson and Explosive Unit in and was well-known for being a mentor and his expertise He was also a trusted leader in the bomb technician society LASD administrators stated Fox News Digital that the same deputies responded to a call Thursday at a complex in Santa Monica where they assisted the local police department in seizing explosives The circumstance is still under study and it is unclear if the deputies were examining the explosives at the time of the blast LASD say homicide detectives are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the Santa Monica location and out of the abundance of caution the LAPD bomb squad L A Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives ATF and Federal Bureau of Analysis FBI in Los Angeles will search the location for any promising explosive materials At this time it is not determined if the devices unveiled on the previous day have any correlation to at present s critical matter officers wrote in a comment to Fox Digital Santa Monica PD is assisting the Sheriff s Department in this circumstance and have evacuated the residents in the complex They are in the process of locating a shelter for displaced residents Details regarding a memorial provision for the deputies will be distributed soon according to LASD The family asks for privacy and compassion during this tragic time The Department will continue to sponsorship the families and our personnel throughout this complex time LASD disclosed