Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

Family Of Man Slain In Gardena Questions Why LA Sheriff's Deputy Opened Fire

A poster of Andres Guardado at Friday's news conference. (Frank Stoltze/LAist)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Family and friends of an 18-year-old security guard fatally shot by an L.A. County Sheriff’s deputy in Gardena last night are questioning why the deputy opened fire.

It happened around 6 p.m. near an auto body shop where Andres Guardado worked security.

Sheriff’s officials say Guardado produced a handgun in view of deputies on patrol and ran away, and that after a brief chase, one of them opened fire.

They say he was not wearing a security uniform, that a handgun was recovered at the scene, and that it was not registered.

Support for LAist comes from

According to an older sister, Jennifer, Guardado lived with her and their parents in Koreatown. She said he graduated last year from Belmont High School and that he wanted to attend nursing school.

“He was a loving man," she said. "He loved to go to school and work out. He was fit, healthy. This was an injustice.”

Guardado said she doesn’t believe her brother was armed and accused the deputy of shooting him in the back.

The coroner will conduct an autopsy; sheriff's investigators can place a hold on the results until their work is done, a process that could take months.

The deputies did not have body cams; the Sheriff's Department is the last large law enforcement agency in the U.S. that doesn't use them. That is set to change; the department is scheduled to outfit its first batch of deputies by October.

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist