[Los Angeles Times, The Free Thought Project]
“The family of Andres Guardado, an 18-year-old fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in June, has sued the Sheriff’s Department, the deputy who opened fire and his partner, alleging an unreasonable use of lethal force and a lack of oversight from the department that caused “needless loss of life.””
“The complaint sought to link the deputies to a reputed gang said to operate out of the Compton station where Vega and Hernandez [the two deputies involved in the shooting] were based. In a recent deposition, a deputy at the Compton station, Austreberto Gonzalez, said Vega and Hernandez were prospective members of the gang, dubbed the Executioners — a claim the deputies’ lawyers deny.”
“Citing the deputies’ “possible affiliations” with the Executioners and another reputed deputy clique, the 3000 Boys, the Guardado family’s lawyers accused the Sheriff’s Department of negligence, saying Sheriff Alex Villanueva has failed to weed out these deputy gangs, which the lawsuit describes as a “conspiracy to commit battery against the public.””
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The version presented by the police is “disputed by witnesses who say Guardado had no gun and was on his knees with his hands on his head when he was shot in the back. This is now confirmed by the autopsy.”
“Andrew Heney, owner of the Freeway autoshop where Guardado worked, said the teen became frightened when deputies pulled up on him with guns drawn for no reason and so he ran.”
“After they killed Guardado, police then confiscated the security cameras and footage. Capt. Kent Wegener, the head of the department’s Homicide Bureau, told ABC7 that investigators have taken six or seven exterior cameras from the scene, claiming two of the cameras were missing their memory cards.”
Heney “said police “got the warrant after they took the cameras.””
““They illegally got into everything, then they had the place locked down and then they got the warrant,” he said.”
“Also, conveniently enough for the deputies, none of them were wearing body cameras.”
“The results of the autopsy, which was likely very simple considering he had multiple bullet holes in him, was placed on a “security hold” by the department, according to a statement from the coroner’s office.”
“News of the department hiding the results of the autopsy, confiscating the video, not wearing body cameras, and killing a teenager on his knees according to witnesses, comes as Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva promises transparency.”
Read more: Family of Andres Guardado sues Sheriff’s Department, deputies involved in fatal shooting (archived) and After Cops Execute Teen, Destroy Security Cameras, Autopsy Finds He Was Shot in the Back
Related: Video of Andrew Heney’s account
2021-week26
