Widow of deputy killed in grenade blast sues LA county, Sheriff Luna

The widow of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was one of three deputies killed in a 2025 grenade explosion in East Los Angeles is suing the county, Sheriff Robert Luna and two other LASD individuals, alleging negligence and state-created danger.

Nancy Lemus was married to Deputy Victor Lemus. Her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed last week and seeks unspecified compensatory damages and punitive damages where available. She is bringing the suit on behalf of herself and the couple’s two minor daughters. The deputy also had an adult child from a previous relationship who is not a plaintiff.

The suit alleges the LASD failed to provide formal or adequate in-house training and then required the deputy to work near the live explosive that killed him and two other deputies on July 18, 2025, in the parking lot of the Biscailuz Training Center.

The trio of bomb squad deputies had more than 70 years of combined experience with the department, the LASD said previously. But according to the lawsuit, while awaiting formal training, Victor Lemus was not to be in the immediate presence of live explosive devices.

The LASD assigned Victor Lemus to work with Deputies Joshua Kelley-Eklund and William Osborn, who also died and who both were “relatively inexperienced” members of the bomb squad, the suit further states.

The LASD released a statement regarding the lawsuit.

“Our fallen detectives exemplified the very best of this department and one year later we continue to mourn their loss, honor their service and support the families they left behind,” the statement read. “Since the tragic incident, the department is implementing several measures to further strengthen operational safety, including standardizing policies and procedures to ensure greater organizational consistency, introducing new equipment, and refining supervisory response protocols based on the nature of each incident.”